Number of IU grad students increases

The total of first-time graduate enrollment dropped by 1.1 percent nationally, according to a recent report from The Chronicle of Higher Education.

However, the number of students in IU’s Graduate Program continues to increase. This year, enrollment of students seeking graduate degrees is up by about 1 percent, Associate Dean for the University Graduate School David Daleke said.

“In an economic downturn, applications go up,” he said. “Enrollment is dependent on the ability of a school to fund its grad programs.”

Daleke said IU has not experienced the drop in enrollment. IU’s enrollment has actually gone up, and overall, he said the change nationwide was not significant.

He said IU has been stable overall and has not experienced any significant changes in comparison to the Chronicle’s research.

The Chronicle of Higher Education reported that the first-time graduate enrollment across the nation has increased 3.8 percent on average per year since fall 2000.

“As a public university, Indiana University is facing difficult financial times, but graduate programs are still finding ways to support their students in their academic endeavors,” said LaNita Campbell, president of the Graduate and Professional Student Organization.

The report was completed by the Council of Graduate Schools and said the decrease between fall 2009 and fall 2010 was the first in first-time graduate enrollment since fall 2003.

First-time graduate enrollment decreased in five fields including education, public administration services, business, social and behavioral sciences and a category called “other,” according to the CGS report.

“Many of the graduate programs, including master’s, doctoral and professional degree programs, are academically competitive and nationally ranked,” Campbell said.

The School of Public and Environmental Affairs at IU is currently ranked as one of the top Masters of Public Affairs programs by the U.S. News and World Report magazine. It is tied for second with the Kennedy School at Harvard University.

IU SPEA graduate student Nicholas Belongie said he did not start his college career thinking about attending graduate school, but with the struggling job market, Belongie decided graduate school was what he needed to make him more competitive in the job
market.

He said Indiana has programs such as SPEA that can compete with the Ivy League.

“This is what makes Indiana University a beacon for students who want a first-class education without the price tag of an Ivy League School,” Belongie said.

In the article from the Chronicle of Higher Education, Debra Stewart, president of the council, said it’s all about money.

Belongie said graduate school can be costly, and that may be why graduate schools have dropped enrollment in the downturn in the economy. He said it is difficult, if not impossible, to pay for at times.

“I have had to turn to my family and loans to maximize my opportunities during grad school and lift some of the wight of the financial burden,” Belongie said.

The GCS report states that this year’s decline was greater in public institutions than private, not-for-profit institutions.

Campbell said the appeal of IU is widespread and the number of graduate students will continue to increase.

“Indiana University attempts to make the adjustment from undergraduate to graduate student easier with groups, events and support for their students,” Belongie said. “I believe that it is for this combination of reasons that Indiana University remains attractive to graduate students, compared to other universities.”