A new report from the Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) shows that international graduate student applications and enrollments increased in 2022, indicating a steady recovery from disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The report, “International Graduate Applications and Enrollment: Fall 2022,” is based on the responses of 370 U.S. degree-granting institutions, representing 48.7 percent of the 759 institutions that received the CGS International Graduate Admissions Survey between September and November 2022.
According to the results, for the second consecutive year since fall 2020, international enrollment in master’s and certificate programs has grown, rising from 95,716 in fall 2021 to 122,328 in fall 2022. Doctoral enrollments also experienced a slight increase from 73,809 students to 75,666.
International graduate applications jumped 26 percent between fall 2021 and fall 2022, with the main driver of this growth coming from a 58 percent rise in international graduate applications from Indian nationals. In contrast, applications from Chinese nationals decreased by 3 percent.
The top two countries of origin for international graduate student applications were India, at 38 percent, and China, at 25 percent. Sub-Saharan Africa was the third largest source of applications, at 10 percent, followed by the Middle East and North Africa at 6 percent.
