 |
Study Reveals Slowdown in International Graduate Student Applications
Author: Jeff Mictabor  | Posted: 24-04-2008 | Comments: 0 | Views: 5 | Rating: (50)  (?) 
Study Reveals Slowdown in International Graduate Student Applications
Britain, France, Germany, Australia, and China are becoming a stronger presence in the postgraduate studies landscape, cutting into the United States’ historical dominance as the most sought-after destination for international students seeking a master’s or doctoral degree.
Nearly 40 percent of all institutions surveyed experienced declines in the growth rates of international graduate student applications between 2007 and 2008, according to a recently released report by the Council of Graduate Schools.
Rate of Slowdown “Unexpected”
Schools responding to the CGS survey reported only a minimal increase in graduate-school applications from non-U.S. citizens for the first time in years. Overall, the number of these applications increased just 3 percent in 2008, compared to a 9-percent increase in 2007 and a 12-percent increase in 2006.
Since 2004, the number of international graduate applications is down by 30 percent.
After years of a steady increase in foreign graduate applications, it was inevitable that the rate of growth would inevitably level out, said Kenneth Redd, director of research and policy analysis at CGS, in an Inside Higher Ed article. Even so, he added, the suddenness of the current slowdown and the marked rate of dropoff in the number of applications were unexpected.
Fewer Applicants from Asian Countries
Perhaps most notably, the United States seems to have lost appeal among the three Asian countries that have typically brought in the most foreign students.
According to the Institute of International Education’s 2007 Open Doors report, a full 50 percent of non-U.S. graduate-school applicants come from India, China, and Korea.
But the number of applications from India stayed flat this year, after having grown 12 percent last year and 26 percent in 2006. Applications from Korea also failed to grow this year, as well as last, after a 4-percent increase in 2006. And the number of applications from China are up only 12 percent, compared to an increase of 19 percent in 2007.
At the Root of the Application Slowdown: Limited Financial Aid and Access to Student Loans
Although the United States may still stand, for now, as the leading destination for prospective international graduate students, increased worldwide competition for postgraduate talent is changing the picture.
The CGS report points to three key areas in which the United States is losing ground:
1. Competing countries are ramping up financial aid and international marketing campaigns. Australia, France, Germany, and Britain have strived to make their graduate programs more attractive by aggressively and strategically recruiting abroad and by increasing financial aid offerings to international students.
In contrast, the United States makes its federal student loans (http://www.nextstudent.com/) and grants available only to U.S. citizens and permanent residents. On an institutional level, only a limited number of U.S. schools offer financial aid packages for foreign students. These students may also have difficulties qualifying for private student loans (http://www.nextstudent.com/private_loans/private_loans.asp).
As a result, over 60 percent of international students are forced to rely on personal and family funds to support their graduate studies overseas, according to the Open Doors report.
2. Foreign students view the United States as unwelcoming. The United States has gained a reputation abroad as being dangerous, culturally insensitive, and one of the hardest countries in which to obtain a student visa, particularly due to the tightening of national security after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.
3. Countries are making moves to keep their students at home. China has more than doubled its number of graduate students over the past 10 years, after improving the quality of its institutions and expanding its schools’ capacities. South Korea has given its universities a global reach with a $1 billion investment in research. India has initiated a plan to build 1,500 new universities by 2015.
Learn more about Student Loans (http://www.nextstudent.com/student-loans/student-loans.asp) and Private Student Loans (http://www.nextstudent.com/).
Rate this Article:
Current: 0 / 5 stars - 0 vote(s).
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/college-and-university-articles/study-reveals-slowdown-in-international-graduate-student-applications-395527.html
About the Author:Jeff Mictabor is an enthusiast on the topic of student loan issues in the news. He has been writing for the past 10 years for a variety of education publications. He now offers his writing services on a freelance basis.
|
Submitting articles has become one of the most popular means of generating quality backlinks and targeted traffic to your website. Join us today - It's Free! |
|
Related Articles
Grad Students Can Cover Their Educational Expenses With a Grad Plus Loan From Nextstudent
By: Jeff Mictabor | 17/08/2007 | Education
You may have seen the news about her. If not, you missed the headlines about Phyllis Turner, a 94-year-old great-great-grandmother from Australia who just graduated with her master’s degree in medical science. If this sweet, cane-toting granny can handle the rigors of a graduate education, it becomes a little harder to come up with an excuse for why you can’t.
Jeff Mictabor is an Enthusiast on the Topic of Student Loan Issues in the News. He Has Been Writing for the Past 10 Years for a Variety of Education P
By: Jeff Mictabor | 31/08/2007 | Education
Got this semester covered but wondering how you’re going to pay for next semester? If mom and dad can’t help you out as much as they want to, you might consider applying for a Federal Stafford Loan.
Nextstudent’s Scholarship Search Directory: your Personal College Funding Resource
By: Jeff Mictabor | 09/05/2007 | College and University
NextStudent, the leading Phoenix-based education funding company, suggests that every student’s search for college funding should begin with the search for “Free Money,” better known as scholarships. With the costs of higher education yearly on the rise, obtaining money that need not be repaid is an essential tip for all college and college-bound students. NextStudent can help students become their own college funding resource by helping to locate scholarships for school.
Low-interest Stafford Loans Could Help you Meet your Graduate School Expenses
By: Jeff Mictabor | 10/09/2007 | Education
As a graduate or professional degree student, even with your student grants and T.A.’s salary, you may find you still have school-related expenses to cover. To help you meet the costs of your degree program, NextStudent, a leading Phoenix-based education funding company, offers graduate Federal Stafford Loans, which carry a low, fixed 6.8% interest rate. And as long as you’re enrolled at least half-time, you don’t have to start repaying your Stafford loan until you’ve finished your degree.
Student Loan Repayment 101
By: Jeff Mictabor | 14/09/2007 | College and University
Unless you plan on being a student the rest of your life, student loan repayment is inevitable, and the ins and outs of student loan repayment can be confusing and overwhelming. The financial advisors at NextStudent, a leading Phoenix-based education funding company, would like to help clear the murky waters by defining terminology and laying out your student loan repayment options.
Thousands of Dollars to Pay for College Could be Just a Few Clicks Away
By: Jeff Mictabor | 27/09/2007 | College and University
If the cost of college and graduate school seems to be rising as quickly as summer temperatures, it may be time to look into the funding sources that could help you finance your postsecondary education. To help families sort through the financial aid maze, NextStudent, a leading Phoenix-based education funding company, offers students and parents this quick guide to the types of financial aid options that are out there.
Changes to Pell Grant Program Needed to Target Lowest-income Students
By: Jeff Mictabor | 09/05/2008 | Education
Pell Grants, federal grants targeted at the nation’s most needy students, have not kept up with college costs. In fact, current Pell awards fall far short in helping low-income students cover their education expenses, according to a recently released report from the Institute for Higher Education Policy.
With College Come Financial Responsibilities
By: Jeff Mictabor | 05/10/2007 | College and University
Between homework, tests, class schedules, a part-time job, and the pressure to maintain acceptable grades, college thrusts students into a world of increased responsibilities. And financial responsibility, the one that could most affect you in the long run, often gets lost in the crazy shuffle of your college life.
Got a Question? Ask.
Ask the community a question about this article:
Frequently Asked Questions
Mexican car for F1 student
By: Alfredo Razo | 31-07-2008
I am from mexico and have a F1 visa, I want to bring my mexican car and have it while studying in US. What do I need to do????
Tattoo Completion
By: fliams | 25-07-2008
Can a tattoo be touched up or completed the next day?
Co-signers for school tuition loans
By: mcardle | 22-07-2008
what are the laws concerning co-signers on school loans
I just got a student visa. On my I-20 it is ...
By: giomoslg | 27-06-2008
I just got a student visa. On my I-20 it is written that school starts on August 14th and I know I can't travel more than a month before school starts. So if I travel on July 14th is it gonna be ok ?
How do you put a picture that you have taken with ...
By: White1024 | 24-06-2008
How do you put a picture that you have taken with your own camera to put in your personal picture or gamer picture on xBox360?
Side yard parking
By: bj | 18-06-2008
I live in los angeles county california. Can I park my utility trailer on my side yard towards the back of the house? The trailer measures 5' wide, 8' long including the tonque. It is used to hold my tools for work.
Q&A Powered by: 
More from Jeff Mictabor
Increase in ‘stealth Applicants’ May be Affecting Acceptance Rates
By: Jeff Mictabor | 16/05/2008 | Education
“Stealth applicants” is the term colleges and universities use to refer to those students whose first communication with a school comes via their admissions application. An increase in these “out-of-the-blue” applicants has thrown off schools’ ability to accurately predict the number of applications they will receive and has caused some schools to adjust their traditional admissions practices.
Changes to Pell Grant Program Needed to Target Lowest-income Students
By: Jeff Mictabor | 09/05/2008 | Education
Pell Grants, federal grants targeted at the nation’s most needy students, have not kept up with college costs. In fact, current Pell awards fall far short in helping low-income students cover their education expenses, according to a recently released report from the Institute for Higher Education Policy.
A College Financial Aid Model for Private K–12 Students
By: Jeff Mictabor | 31/03/2008 | Education
One of President Bush’s education initiatives that would model private K–12 financing on a popular federal college financial aid program has sparked renewed debate about school vouchers and federal funding for private education.
Concerns About College Costs Shaping More Students’ Decisions
By: Jeff Mictabor | 07/03/2008 | Education
Freshman concerns about college affordability are at a 35-year high, according to a recent survey by the Higher Education Research Institute.
Top-rated Online Colleges of 2008 Offer Financial Aid to Most Students
By: Jeff Mictabor | 29/02/2008 | Education
If your schedule demands flexibility, convenience and round-the-clock availability, an online college degree program might be able to accommodate you in ways that a brick-and-mortar school can’t.
Financial Aid 411: Know the Ground Rules for Paying for College
By: Jeff Mictabor | 18/02/2008 | Education
With college tuition prices on a steady incline that’s outstripping inflation, more and more students may need to rely on financial aid to help pay for school.
Saving on College Tuition
By: Jeff Mictabor | 08/02/2008 | Education
While tuition and fees have risen over the last decade at all types of colleges and universities, these costs have gone up the least at two-year schools, according to a recent report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office.
U.s. Falls Behind Rest of World in College Degree Attainment
By: Jeff Mictabor | 01/02/2008 | College and University
The United States continues to lag behind other major industrialized nations in the percentage of the population with a college degree, according to a recent series of studies released by the Making Opportunity Affordable project.
|
|
Education 
