Inside Higher Ed reports that a recent study conducted by the Council of Graduate Students (CGS) showed that the number of graduate applications from outside the Unites States, particularly China, continues to rise at universities in the United States. Nathan Bell, the CGS director for research and policy analysis, attributed a 9 percent total growth in applications to steady interest in graduate programs in the United States. “This year marked the seventh year-over-year increase in applications,” he said.

Inside Higher Ed also quoted Dean Robert Augustine of Eastern Illinois University Graduate School, who said that the number of active international students at his university increased from 77 to 92 since 2009. Augustine said he believes that international students have a great influence on other students in the classroom. Furthermore, he said, “Having those students enriches the classroom experience for everyone, especially in disciplines such as economics where a foreign viewpoint might add diversity to a discussion.”

The CGS study reports that while international students are only 14 percent of the total number of “students at U.S. graduate schools, three‐quarters (76 percent) of all international students at U.S. graduate schools are enrolled in natural sciences, engineering, and business fields.

Sources:

• Foreign Grad Applications Up Again, Inside Higher Ed
• Findings from the 2012 CGS International Graduate Admissions Survey, Council of Graduate Students