Enrollment Management 101: International Enrollment

Emily Genao
November 8th, 2007

A recent survey painted a mixed picture of international student enrollment in graduate schools. On the one hand, total international enrollment has seen its biggest increase in the last five years, jumping seven percent from 2006 to 2007. This compares to the one percent increase seen just one year prior. On the other hand however, the rate of growth for first-time enrollment has slowed down considerably. This parallels the decrease in admissions offers for international students as well. Yet this is not the total story either. The survey also showed that universities with smaller international enrollments saw the largest increases, when compared to universities who typically have large international enrollments.

There are several possible reasons as to the current state of international enrollment in graduate schools. Universities with smaller enrollment may just be getting the overflow of the universities with larger enrollments because those universities are reaching their capacities of international enrollments. The increase occurs as a result. And universities in general may have their reasons for the decrease in admissions offers to international students. But the reality is, the decrease comes in a post-9/11 world. The ramifications are still being felt six years later, and are affecting almost every part of civil society.