Washington, August 22: For the first time in recent years, the number of Indian students seeking admission to US graduate schools is down by as much as 12 percent this year.
A report released by the Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) on Thursday points to an overall drop of 3 percent in the number of admissions offered to international students during 2008-2009, after four years of positive, albeit uneven, growth.
Experts see this decline against the backdrop of the US’ deteriorating job market in the wake of the recession, difficulties in obtaining H-1B work visa sponsorship and problems associated with financing at a time of escalating cost of university education.
India has in recent years led the table as the country sending the most number of international students to American universities.
During 2007-2008, India sent 94,563 students, followed by China with 81,127 and South Korea 69,124 students.
“The decline in admissions of international students this year, after several years of slowing growth, is a concern for US graduate education. For the past few years growth in first-time graduate enrolment has been driven by international students,” said CGS president Debra W Stewart.
The drop this year would have been steeper if not for the continuing increase in the number of students flocking from China and West Asia.
In contrast to the 12 percent drop in applications from India and 9 percent from South Korea, the number from China is actually up by 14 percent.
The CGS report is based on the second phase of a three-part annual survey of international graduate student applications, admissions, and enrolment among member institutions.
Over 500 institutions of higher education are affiliated to the CGS. Although the overall number of international applications was up by 4 percent, the number offered admissions fell by 3 percent compared to 2007-08, the report said.
“This year’s decline was due in part to double-digit decreases in offers of admission to prospective students from India and South Korea,” it said, pointing out that in terms of offers made for admission, India and South Korea have each witnessed a 16 per cent decline.
Since the Phase II survey collects initial offers of admission, it is possible that this figure will be revised when the final offers of admission data from the Phase III survey are analysed this fall.
“However, it is unlikely that this figure will change enough to reverse the decline,” the report noted. In business, engineering, and physical & earth sciences, the three largest fields for international students at US graduate schools, offers of admission decreased by 5 percent, 4 percent and 4 percent respectively. Many students from countries such as India say they are thinking twice now before accepting an offer to attend a top US business school, the BusinessWeek reported.
It quoted Manish Bage, an electrical engineer who turned down an offer from Duke University in favour of attending the Indian School of Business, as saying, “The recession made me double-think taking out a $130,000 loan and my ability to pay it back if I don’t get a job in the US and was forced to return to India.
—Agencies