Fewer Indian grad students heading for US

The enrollment of first-time graduate students from India has registered a 16-per cent decline in comparison to last year while that of China has increased by the same level, says a latest report.

"First-time enrollment of students increased by 16 per cent from China and by 22 per cent from the Middle East. However, there was a 16-per cent decline from India and 13-per cent decline from South Korea," the Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) has said in its report.

India sends one of the largest numbers of international students to the US for higher studies along with China and South Korea and the sharp drop of 16 per cent, follows two years of modest decline, two per cent in 2008 and eight per cent in 2007. The report also pointed that there was no growth in first-time enrollment of international students at US graduate schools from 2008 to 2009. The zero per cent change follows four years of growth.

The survey report on 'Fall 2009' enrollment shows that, after peaking at 12 per cent in 2006, the rate of change in international first-time enrollment has slowed in the past three years. The Council of Graduate Schools said while first-time graduate enrollment of students from India was down 16 per cent overall in 2009, the decline at the 10 largest institutions was only six per cent.

In contrast, the enrollment of Indian students decreased by 17 per cent at the 50 largest institutions, by 16 per cent at the 100 largest institutions, and by 15 per cent at the institutions outside the largest 100. However, in contrast to the international trends, first-time enrollment of US graduate students grew six by per cent, the report added.

The report also reveals that overall total graduate enrollment of students from India fell four per cent in 2009, following a three per cent increase in 2008, and a 14-per cent increase in 2007. The decline at the 10 largest institutions was only one per cent. There was a decline by five per cent at the 25 largest, 50 largest, and 100 largest institutions, and by three per cent at the institutions outside the largest 100.

Total graduate enrollment of students from South Korea also fell by five per cent in 2009. This follow a two per cent decline in 2008, and a two per cent increase in 2007. However, the total enrollment of international graduate students saw a rise of two per cent overall, the report said.

The total graduate enrollment of students from China increased by 12 per cent, marking third consecutive year of double-digit growth. Total graduate enrollment of students from the Middle East and Turkey increased by 13 per cent in 2009, following
a seven per cent gain in 2008.