The annual CGS/ETS Survey of Graduate Enrollment and Degrees report presents data on applications for admission to graduate school, graduate student enrollment, and graduate degrees and certificates conferred. This survey is the only source for data on both first-time and total graduate enrollment across all fields of master’s and research doctorate programs and on applications to graduate school by broad field of study. This year’s report begins with “Quick Takes” summarizing key findings and includes a “Looking Forward” section that outlines projections suggesting that graduate education is entering a period of realignment, where institutional scale, workforce relevance, and global accessibility will determine long-term resilience.
Quick Takes
- Larger institutions are more resilient against changing tides. Although small and medium institutions experienced a decrease in either average applications, first-time enrollment, or total enrollment, large institutions experienced mostly positive and notable growth in all three metrics.
- Small and medium institutions face challenges across key metrics. On average, small institutions saw a drop of six new enrollees compared to last year and a drop of 28 total enrolled students compared to 2019. Meanwhile, medium institutions on average saw 110 fewer master’s-level applicants in 2024 than in 2023. They also saw on average ten fewer first-time enrollees, a smaller drop than applications, but 34 fewer international first-time enrollees than last year.
- First-time and total enrollment for international students is down from the previous year. The average first-time enrollment of international graduate students decreased across institution sizes from 2023 to 2024; small institutions on average went down by three enrollees, medium institutions by 34, and large institutions by 72. For total enrollment, international graduate students declined, on average, by 24 students at medium institutions and by 76 at large institutions, but remained flat at small institutions.
- Health Sciences saw the largest average first-time enrollment across institution sizes from 2023 to 2024; 53 for small institutions, 121 for medium institutions, and 289 for large institutions. This may indicate that graduate schools are actively helping to meet the demand for healthcare professionals.
- Average first-time enrollment in Education increased across all institution sizes between Fall 2023 and Fall 2024. Education saw the greatest gains in first-time enrollment at large institutions, while medium-sized and small institutions saw modest increases in average first-time enrollment.
- Fewer degrees were conferred at both the master’s and doctoral level. Medium-sized institutions saw a drop of 121 master’s degrees on average for private institutions and a drop of 89 master’s degrees on average for public institutions. Meanwhile, large private and public institutions experienced a drop of 419 and 382 respectively in master’s degrees conferred from 2023 to 2024.
Historical Graduate Enrollment and Degrees Reports
Reports dating back to 2012 are available free online to administrators, faculty, and staff members of CGS member institutions. Visit the report archive to view, print or download PDFs of past reports of the Graduate Enrollment and Degrees survey.
Contact
For more information about the CGS/ETS Survey of Graduate Enrollment and Degrees, please contact the CGS Research Team.