Growth in Foreign Student Applications to U.S. Graduate Schools Slowing

……. The growth rate of foreign applications to American graduate schools has slowed substantially amid increased international competition to attract students seeking advanced degrees, according to a recent survey by the Council of Graduate Schools. The council, composed of 500 member institutions of higher education in the United States and Canada, found that the number of applications for admission to CGS-member graduate schools increased by just 3 percent this year, compared to a 9-percent increase in 2007and a 12-percent increase in 2006. As universities in Australia, Britain, France, and Germany have bolstered their marketing and financial aid programs, the ability of American graduate schools to better attract international students is faltering, researchers found. ……..Applications to U.S. graduate schools from students in India, which had increased by 12 percent in 2007 and by 26 percent in 2006, were flat in 2008, as were applications from students in Korea. Applications from students in China increased 12 percent in 2008, down from an increase of 19 percent in 2007. [View Full Article]