Foreign Graduate Applications Decline

Harvard has seen a 15 percent drop in international applications to the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS), in line with a pattern across the country that has left 90 percent of graduate schools facing declines in foreign student applicants, according to a national survey.

The Council of Graduate Schools (CGS), which released survey data on international graduate student applicants for the upcoming academic year, found that U.S. graduate institutions have seen foreign application numbers drop by 32 percent.

The international decline affected all major fields of study and was especially marked among applicants from China, which decreased by 30 percent at GSAS.

One-hundred thirty-two schools, which according to the CGS host almost half of all international students in the U.S., participated in the survey.

Dean of the Faculty William C. Kirby said he would be troubled if this decline in international applications continues to plague Harvard’s graduate schools.

“After all, a defining strength of American higher education today is its openness to talent from all over the world. Any systemic limitation to that openness would be a matter of great concern,” Kirby wrote in an e-mail.

University officials attributed the drop at graduate schools across the country to problems acquiring visas, the perception of an unfriendly environment for foreign students and budget cuts at state universities.

“There is a disturbing decrease in applications that is mirrored in the larger host institutions across the country,” said Harvard’s Senior Director of Federal and State Relations Kevin Casey. “It’s going to be a concern that, if sustained, we hope that public officials would agree would not only diminish our standing in the world, but also our homeland security.”

Director of the International Office Sharon R. Ladd said the visa problem was likely the chief cause of the drop in applicants.

One part of the visa process that has proved a hassle is the requirement that all international students, except those coming from the member countries of the European Union and a few other areas, must attend a consular interview at embassies at home. Lines can be long, and the wait can be frustrating, CGS Vice President of Research Peter Syverson and Casey said.

Alberto Ribas, a fourth-year doctoral candidate from Spain, said that even getting his visa renewed—which he must do every one to two years—can be a problem.

“The process has gotten more difficult lately. Instead of mailing the application, you have to present yourself at the embassy in Madrid. Between the trip and paying [for] your stay, that can range between $300 and $600. If you have to do this every year or every two years, it’s a hassle,” he said.

Ladd said Harvard is working to address the visa problems.

“We’re trying to monitor what the issues are with visa delays so we can in some way bring some of this to the attention of the government,” Ladd said. “This has been on the front burner for some time now.”

Casey and Ladd said that an ad hoc committee chaired by University General Counsel Robert W. Iuliano ’83 has been investigating student visa problems and possible solutions for over a year.

“We’re going to have a trend that we want to communicate more with the government on,” said Casey. “I think some of the things we’re going to be asking for are additional resources for the consulates and others doing the new procedures, in order to be able to do it in a timely fashion.”

Casey added that the committee will also work to procure additional transparency in getting visas, which will facilitate the process for international students.

Getting or renewing a visa is not the only impediment in the path of foreign students, however, according to Syverson.

“The word seems to be on the street that it is more difficult to be an international student in the U.S. than it used to be,” Syverson said. “The sense is that we’re more restrictive, we’re less welcoming, there’s more hassle and there are other places to go.”

This is especially disturbing, he added, because there is no simple way to combat such sentiments.

Syverson ascribed part of the national decline to decreased funding for state universities, which has resulted in poorly staffed international offices and less attention to recruiting students from overseas.

Ladd also pointed to the increased competition from schools in other parts of the world as a partial explanation.

“Our counterparts in Canada, Australia and the U.K. are all trying very hard to recruit international students and are very successful at it,” Ladd said.

Dean of GSAS Peter T. Ellison said that whether the drop proves to be a one-time occurrence or part of a long-term trend, it is a negative development.

“The phenomenon itself is troubling, as are its possible causes,” Ellison wrote in an e-mail. “At a time when Harvard is broadening the scope of its educational and research missions to a global scale, we must certainly worry about policies that may discourage qualified students from applying.”

—Staff writer Laura L. Krug can be reached at krug@fas.harvard.edu.