As previously mentioned, there were over 17 million students enrolled in higher education institutions in the US in 2007, the last year for which statistics are available.40 This number has increased gradually over the past 10 years. For people ages 18–24, 62% were in the first year of a college degree in 2007.41
38 US Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, High School Dropout and Completion Rates in the United States: 2007 (NCES 2009-064), (Washington, DC.: US Department of Education, 2009), http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2009/2009064.pdf.
39 The College Board administers the Advanced Placement exams in over 30 courses. They state that over 90% of US universities grant credit for students earning a passing grade in the exams (see College Board website:
http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/ap/about.html).
40 The World Bank Group, Ed Stats Data Query, 2009, http://ddp-ext.worldbank.org/ext/
DDPQQ/member.do?method=getMembers&userid=1&queryId=189.
41 Ibid.
28
14,000 15,000 16,000 17,000 18,000
2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007
14,600
15,900
16,600
16,900
17,270 17,500
17,800
Source: World Bank42
In the US in 2007, over 60,000 individuals graduated with “advanced re-search” degrees, mostly from PhD programs.43 Although more advanced degrees were awarded in the US than in any other country, this represents only 1.5% of the relevant age group, versus 2.5% in Germany.44 It should be noted that these figures are not directly comparable as there are signifi-cant differences in the pathways to a PhD in Germany and the US, as well as the meaning of the degree in terms of societal status and future career options within and outside of academia.
3.2.1 Race and Ethnicity of Student Population
The percentage of non-white students at universities in the US is increasing more quickly than the general student population, leading to a significant shift in demographics. The NCES reports that the percentage of “minority”
students in higher education has increased from 16.1% in 1980 to 33.3%
in 2008.45 Targeted marketing for Hispanics, in particular, is becoming a key feature of recruiting efforts for US universities, just as it is for com-panies trying to reach this important market. Materials may be offered in Spanish for non-English-speaking parents, and many universities are work-ing on programs to help native Spanish speakers gain necessary language skills and successfully transition to the university environment. The number
42 Ibid.
43 UNESCO, Global Education Digest 2009: Comparing Education Statistics Across the World, (Montreal: UNESCO Institute for Statistics, 2009),
http://www.uis.unesco.org/template/pdf/ged/2009/GED_2009_EN.pdf.
44 Ibid., p. 26.
45 US Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Digest of Education Statistics 2009, Table 227, http://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d09/tables/dt09_227.asp.
Figure 2: Number of Students Enrolled in US Higher Education Institutions (in thousands)
29
1
H i g h e r E d u c at i o n L a n d s c a p e 3
of Hispanic students in higher education increased from 782,400 in 1990 to more than 2.27 million in 2008, now representing 11.9% of the total student population.46
4 % 1 % 7 % 12 %
14 % 63 %
White Black Hispanic
Asian/Pacific Islander
American Indian/Alaska Native Int'l Students ("Non-Resident Alien")
Source: NCES47
3.2.2 International Students in the US
In the UNESCO Global Education Digest 2009, it was reported that the US hosts 21.3% of the world’s “mobile students” or 595,900 students.48 According to the Institute of International Education (IIE)’s Open Doors 2009 report, the number of international students in the US increased in 2008–09 to 671,616, an increase of 8% over the previous year.49 The top five sending countries were India, China, South Korea, Canada, and Japan.
Germany was #12, with 9,679 students. The top five destinations for in-ternational students were California, New York, Texas, Massachusetts, and
46 Ibid.
47 Ibid.
48 UNESCO, Global Education Digest¸ 2009, p. 37,
http://www.uis.unesco.org/template/pdf/ged/2009/GED_2009_EN.pdf
49 Institute of International Education, “Record Numbers of International Students in U.S.
Higher Education,” IIE Network: Open Doors website, November 16, 2009, http://opendoors.iienetwork.org/?p=150649.
Figure 3: Student Enrollment in Higher Education by Race/Ethnicity, 2008
30
Florida, and the top three fields of study are business and management (21%), engineering (18%), and physical and life sciences (9%).
According to a report from the Council of Graduate Schools, “Gradu-ate Enrollment and Degrees: 1998–2008,” 82% of first-time gradu“Gradu-ate students in 2008 were US citizens and permanent residents.50 That said, international students tended to study at research-intensive institutions:
over 53% of temporary residents were enrolled at research universities classified as having “very high research activities,” compared to 31.8% of US citizens and permanent residents.51 Temporary residents also made up 53% of graduate enrollment in engineering, 46% in the physical sciences, 25% in biological and agricultural sciences, and 23% in business.52 While these numbers are impressive and represent an increase in the abso-lute number of international students in the US, it also represents a decline from 1999, when roughly 25% of mobile students chose to study in the US.53 It also showcases the relatively small percentage of international stu-dents in the overall US higher education population. If we take 17 million as the total number of students, international students would make up roughly 4% of the student population in the US.
There have been predictions that the US will continue to lose “market share” of international students, particularly after numbers dropped quite dramatically with the changes to visa rules in the years following the events on September 11, 2001. Yet, US institutions are countering this trend with increased marketing efforts to international students done on an institu-tional, regional, and even national basis. The Council of Graduate Schools reported in August 2010 that applications from overseas students were now back to their 2003 levels with an increase in the number of applica-tions of 9% from 2009 to 2010 and an increase of 3% in initial offers of admission to international students.54
3.2.3 Attendance Status: Full and Part Time
A significant percentage of students in the US attend university part time due to work or family obligations. Although it is possible for these students to study abroad for short-term or degree programs, it is much less likely than for the full-time students. Part-time status also impacts eligibility for financial aid, including federal loan programs.
50 N. Bell, Graduate Enrollment and Degrees: 1998 to 2008 (Washington, DC: Council of Graduate Schools, 2009), http://www.cgsnet.org/portals/0/pdf/R_ED2008.pdf, p. vii.
51 Ibid, p. 9.
52 Ibid. p. 9.
53 Ibid., p. 43.
54 K. Fischer, “Graudate-Admissions Offers to Foreign Students Bounce Back”, The Chronicle of Higher Education, August 19, 2010,
http://chronicle.com/article/Graduate-Admissions-Offers-to/123987/
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H i g h e r E d u c at i o n L a n d s c a p e 3
38 % 37 % 45 %
62 % 63 % 55 %
Full-Time Part-Time Postbaccalaureate
(includes first-professional and graduate-level students)
Undergraduate
Total
Source: NCES55