UW-Madison Bucks Trend, Sees Increase In International Students Enrolling In Graduate Programs

Fewer international students are choosing to pursue advanced degrees in the United States, but the University of Wisconsin-Madison is one exception.

Nationwide international graduate enrollments were down for a second straight year, according to a report from the Council of Graduate Schools. But there has been a slight increase in graduate students from other countries at the UW System’s flagship institution.

From fall 2016 to fall 2017, new enrollments of international graduate students rose from 671 students to 725 at UW-Madison. Other research institutions also were exceptions to the trend.

“There was a slight decrease in the number of applications but the total number of enrollees has gone up,” said Parmesh Ramanathan, associate dean for graduate programs and services at UW-Madison.

The Council of Graduate Schools doesn’t pinpoint a reason for the decline but there’s concern that prospective students could be deterred by the current political climate and uncertainty about immigration policies in the U.S.

“We have no reason to believe one way or the other” whether President Donald Trump’s policies have had a chilling effect at UW-Madison, said Ramanathan. “Visas and those things do have an effect but U.S. policies vary from one country to another. We see an aggregate. But it’s clearly a factor in affecting students from certain countries.”

One of the biggest factors influencing whether students study abroad is the economy back home, he said.

“If the economy is good in their home country, many of the undergrads there may take up jobs as opposed to trying to pursue graduate studies,” explained Ramanathan.

Long-term trends show a steady rise in international enrollment at UW-Madison. There was more than a 5 percent increase in international graduate students from 2007 to 2017. Ramanathan said less than 30 percent of UW-Madison’s graduate students come from other countries.

Most are studying in the STEM — science, technology, engineering and math — fields.