New CGS report shows rebound for graduate applications and first-time enrollment

CGS Contact: Kelley Karnes
602-791-8278 / kkarnes@cgs.nche.edu
PDF Version of Press Release

Washington, DC – Graduate applications and first-time enrollment saw growth according to the new Graduate Enrollment and Degrees: 2013 to 2023 Report from the Council of Graduate Schools (CGS).

Between Fall 2022-2023, graduate school applications increased by 5.6 percent, fueled by a 15.8 percent increase at Master’s Colleges and Universities and a rise of 17.4 percent at Doctoral Universities with High Research Activities (R2).

First-time graduate student enrollment rose by 3.1 percent overall between Fall 2022 and Fall 2023, with nearly every institution type reporting increases. The largest increase was seen in Doctoral or Professional Universities (D/PU) at 11.6 percent. First-time graduate enrollment increased notably among underrepresented groups, with first-time enrollment for Black/African American students increasing by 6.3 percent and by 7.6 percent for Latinx students.

The 2022-2023 academic year shows a rebalancing in student participation in graduate education compared to the previous year, which was impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. Domestic first-time graduate enrollments increased by 2.9 percent, while international first-time enrollments grew by 2.1 percent. This marks a contrast to the previous year, where domestic first-time enrollments dropped by 4.7 percent, and international first-time enrollments rose by 10.2 percent, with both numbers being influenced by the effects of the pandemic. The increase in international student enrollments in 2021-2022 may have been due to students who had deferred their admissions during the pandemic.

The report also highlights the growing demand for professionals in key sectors, including education and counseling. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, graduate schools will need to produce an additional 21,000 educational, guidance, and career counselors, as well as education administrators, to meet the projected job openings in these fields.

“The progress we are seeing in this year’s report underscores the resilience of, and continued student interest in graduate education, though we are not quite back up to pre-pandemic levels,” said Suzanne T. Ortega, President of CGS. “The increase in graduate applications and enrollments, especially among domestic and underrepresented students is good, but there is more to be done to ensure graduate education access so we can meet critical workforce demands.”

CGS will work with policymakers to address these labor force shortages and expanding graduate education accessibility to domestic students by reforming student loans, expanding access to Pell Grants and reinstating subsidized loans for graduate students, to name a few of CGS’s policy priorities.

More Key Findings:

• Doctoral or Professional Universities (D/PU) experienced a substantial 22.1 percent increase in applications between Fall 2022 and Fall 2023.
• Applications to doctoral programs rose by 3.7 percent between Fall 2022 and Fall 2023, while first-time doctoral enrollments increased by 3.6 percent. The number of doctoral degrees awarded also saw an impressive 9.8 percent increase between 2021-22 and 2022-23.
• Total graduate enrollment increased for Latinx (1.5 percent), Black/African American (1.6 percent) and Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander (3.8 percent) students but decreased for White (-4.8 percent) and Asian students (-0.4 percent) between Fall 2022 and Fall 2023.
• Domestic first-time graduate enrollment increased by 2.9 percent between Fall 2022 and Fall 2023. The largest increases in domestic first-time graduate enrollment were in Mathematics and Computer Sciences (13.5 percent), Engineering (7.3 percent), and Business (6.3 percent).
• International graduate student enrollment saw a 2.1 percent increase in first-time enrollment between Fall 2022 and Fall 2023, with significant growth in fields such as Other Fields (28.2 percent), Physical and Earth Sciences (16.7 percent) and Biological and Agricultural Sciences (8.9 percent). However, international student enrollment in Health Sciences declined slightly by 0.4 percent.
• The number of graduate-level certificates awarded increased by 5.5 percent from 2021-22 to 2022-23. The largest proportion of certificates were awarded in the fields of Education (29.5 percent), Health Sciences (15.3 percent) and Business (15.3 percent).

Learn more about the report on our website.

# # #

About CGS

The Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) is an organization of approximately 460 institutions of higher education in the United States and Canada engaged in graduate education, research, and the preparation of candidates for advanced degrees. The organization’s mission is to improve and advance graduate education, which it accomplishes through advocacy in the federal policy arena, research, and the development and dissemination of best practices.

About the Graduate Enrollment and Degrees: 2013 to 2023 report

Conducted annually since 1986, the CGS/ETS Survey of Graduate Enrollment and Degrees is designed to provide information about applications for admission to graduate school, graduate student enrollment, and graduate degrees and certificates conferred. The survey is jointly sponsored by CGS and the Educational Testing Service (ETS) and is the only national survey that collects data on first-time and total graduate enrollment across all fields of master’s and research doctorate programs in the United States.