USA institutions look to growth in Indian postgraduate students

The special research paper released by the Council of Graduate Schools, Changing Tides: What to make of increased Indian international graduate students in the United States, examines the post-Covid boom in Indian students on postgraduate programs in the USA.

In 2022, the number of applications from India increased by 58 per cent, while first-time enrolments of Indian students rose by 22 per cent. While China was the largest source country for graduate students from 2014 to 2022, it has now been comfortably surpassed by India.

In the paper, CGS argues that the growth in Indian students cannot simply be explained by deferrals from the pandemic, as the number of new master’s students enrolled in 2021 and 2022 far exceeded what was typical in the pre-pandemic years. The authors calculate that at least 60 per cent of new Indian students over the last two years are not attributable to a Covid rebound.

They argue that three longer-term trends have generated an increase in graduate students and that these will continue to drive growth in Indian students seeking postgraduate programs overseas.

Firstly, a more robust in-country education system in India has led to an increase in university-educated students who are then eligible for graduate programs in the USA.

According to World Bank Group data quoted in the paper, tertiary enrolment in India increased from 9.5 per cent in 2000 to 29 per cent in 2020.

“India’s current tertiary education enrolment levels indicate that its population currently holds an ever-growing number of graduate-level-ready individuals. Their current enrolment in Indian institutions of higher education generates a pool of potential consumers of graduate-level education abroad.”

Alongside the increase in educational access and attainment, there has been a steady growth in the number of Indian nationals that can afford to study abroad, as Growth National Income per capita increases.

Although the fees for graduate programs in the USA are typically two-to-three times higher than the average annual income in India, the increase in educational attainment has created more affluence and the potential for study abroad, they argue, citing increases in luxury goods and car ownership.

There has also been a steady increase in access to information and connectivity “necessary to better shape future graduate school endeavours and to be more savvy consumers of higher education”.

In 2010 the percentage of individuals with steady access to the internet was eight per cent, a ratio that grew to 43 per cent by 2020, according to the World Bank. Meanwhile, mobile phone subscriptions per 100 people rose from 60.6 to 82.6 over the same period.

“It seems plausible that India’s development has positively impacted the capacity of its citizens to apply and enrol in American graduate programs and graduate education professionals should take note,” the authors said.

“The combination of being better prepared for higher education as well as being able to afford it abroad may have reached an equilibrium point that generated the last two years of large growth among Indian applications and enrolments. Beyond that, Indian patterns of mass communication consumption may indicate that prospective Indian graduate students are better prepared to undergo the life-changing experience of attaining an international graduate education.”

The authors urged institutions to consider creating specific webpages in one or more of India’s official languages and creating content specifically curated for concerns around being an international student from India, and argue that they should closely monitor developments in India’s national education policy.