U.S. grad schools see rise in domestic students

In the past year, the enrollment of domestic students in U.S. graduate schools grew faster than that of international students for the first time since 2004.

According to a recent study released by the Council of Graduate Schools, first-time enrollment in 2008 increased by 4.7 percent for domestic students, as compared with 3.3 percent for international students.

"One key reason why international graduate applications are declining is likely the recognition by overseas students that job opportunities for them in the U.S. are diminishing due to tighter restrictions on visas and work permits," said College Confidential senior advisor Sally Rubenstone.

According to Rubenstone, to secure employment in the United States after graduation, foreign students must obtain an H-1B visa, which indicates that its holder "offers specialized knowledge or skills that a comparable domestic employee cannot provide." However, Rubenstone said, because the U.S. government reduced the number of visas issued annually in recent years, it is now more difficult to receive a visa.

She also cited the "struggling economy" as a potential deterrent to international students considering graduate school abroad, as well as a potential incentive for domestic students.

"Today's tough job market means that many newly minted college grads can't land the work they want," she said. "So, in lieu of flipping burgers or scooping sundaes, they head to graduate school with the hope that they can acquire more marketable skills while waiting out the tough times."

This nationwide trend is reflected in several of Penn's graduate schools, including the School of Social Policy and Practice, which saw substantial overall applicant increases to two of its three graduate school programs. According to Dean Richard Gelles, while most applicants to the school were from the U.S., there has been a recent increase in applications internationally as well, particularly from Korea, China and Japan.

"Each year we get more international students coming in, but they're still a fraction of the total population," said Gelles.

Gelles also agreed with Rubenstone's assessment that limited job prospects may be the cause of heightened domestic interest in graduate school.

In addition, he credits the increase in domestic applicants to SP2 specifically to the outcome of the 2008 election.

"The election of Barack Obama made social policy and social issues 'cool,' much cooler than they were during the previous administration, so careers in social policy and nonprofit leadership and community organization are now considered 'cooler,'" he said.

The School of Law also saw a 7-percent overall increase in the number of applicants this year, driving it to reduce its acceptance rate from 16 to 14 percent, according to associate dean for admissions Renee Post.

Likewise, the Annenberg School of Communication saw an increase in overall applicants that caused the admittance rate to drop, according to assistant dean for graduate studies Joanne Murray.

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.