While the number of applications to graduate schools in the United States continues to rise, first-time enrollments are dropping, according to a study the Council of Graduate Schools released last week.
U.S. graduate programs witnessed a 1.7 percent drop in first-time student enrollments from fall 2010 to fall 2011, according to a press statement by the Council of Graduate Schools, a national group that advocates for graduate education. The dip marks the second consecutive year of decreases in graduate school enrollment.
The Graduate School of Arts & Sciences’ enrollment rates matched the national trends, as the school enrolled fewer students in recent years, said Assoc. Politics Prof. Jeffery Jenkins, director of graduate studies in the politics department. The change reflected the College’s decision to cap graduate enrollments to increase the amount of money allocated to graduate students in financial aid.
The number of applications to University graduate programs, however, has not changed significantly, Jenkins said. But the quality of applicants has improved, he added.
Enrollment rates at Darden have increased by 33 percent in the last six years despite national trends, said Sara Neher, Darden School assistant dean of admissions.
“While the full-time MBA program has stayed relatively the same over that time, we have added two new degree formats,” Neher said in an email. The expansion of degree formats has allowed Darden to serve more graduate students.
The study does not consider structural changes in university departments, such as the expansion or addition of degree formats, council spokesperson Julia Kent said.
“The survey does not allow us to prove that or show that the decrease of enrollments has anything to do with tougher admissions or even with the numbers of candidates being admitted,” Kent said.
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