US Graduate School Enrollment Dips for the First Time Since 2003
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Conventional wisdom has it that when economic times are tough enrollment in graduate schools tends to increase. After all, there are no jobs to be had so jobseekers go back to skill to increase their knowledge or improve their skills to be more competitive on the job market. However, according to a new report issues by the Council of Graduate Schools, enrollment of American students in US graduate programs dropped 1.2% percent from 2009to 2010 despite a 8.4% increase in applications. This is the first drop in graduate school enrollment since 2003 and the decrease came after a 5.5% increase the previous year.
The decrease in new graduate students was most noticeable in business (MBA) and public administration programs. Interestingly, enrollment by Hispanic student grew by roughly 5.0% while black enrollment declined by more than 8.0%. A startlingly finding of the report is that the number of new international graduate students studying in the US increased 4.7% percent since 2009 to 2010; a trend that has been taking place mainly in the sciences and engineering for the past two decades which has now crossed over into non-science fields. Finally, another troubling statistic is that while enrollment in certificate and Masters Degree programs is beginning to wane, doctoral programs are growing at a faster rate than ever before.
The reasons for the decline in domestic enrollment are tied to the poor economy. Graduate school costs are rising and employers are no longer willing to pay for graduate education of their employees. Dr. Debra W. Stewart, president of the Council of Graduate Schools issued this warning:
“The decline in domestic students is very bad news for the nation’s economic future. “Higher education and, increasingly, graduate education are what drives prosperity, and if we get to the point where only people with significant bank accounts can afford graduate education, the country is doomed.”
Some other interesting tidbits found in the report included the statistic that more than 60 percent of the 445,000 first-time graduate students were enrolled at public institutions, and about 58 percent of them were women and women earned about two-thirds of the graduate certificates awarded in 2009-10; 60 percent of the master’s degrees; and 52 percent of the doctorates.
Until next time...
Good Luck and Good Job Hunting!!!!!!!!
By now, most of you have heard that tough economic times are forcing more students to enroll at community colleges because they can no longer afford the staggeringly-high tuition costs at most American four year public and private colleges and universities. While this may be a financial boon for community colleges, technical schools and for-profit educational institutions, flagging enrollment numbers at second and third-tier public and private colleges has induced some admissions officers at these four year institutions to lower academic standards to admit students who can pay full tuition to attend them. In other words, rather than admit deserving academically-qualified and competitive students who may need financial aid to attend their institutions, admission officers will sometimes admit less academically qualified students to offset rising financial costs..jpg)
The economic crisis is having an adverse effect on enrollment at four year colleges and universities. Most four year institutions are reporting record low enrollments. While things are spiraling downward at many four year colleges and universities, business is booming at two year technical schools and community colleges. Seemingly, this ought to be good news for two year institutions. Unfortunately, statewide funding cuts and faculty shortages are making it difficult for community colleges and technical schools to accommodate burgeoning enrollment.
