Dr. Suzanne T. Ortega
“The long-range consequences of the pandemic, the verdict is still out; the immediate shorter-term consequences of the pandemic, we’ve worked our way through,” said Dr. Suzanne T. Ortega, president of CGS.
“Graduate Enrollment and Degrees: 2013 to 2023 Report” shows that from fall 2022 to fall 2023 graduate school applications increased by 5.6%, driven by a 15.8% increase at master’s colleges and universities and a 17.4% increase at doctoral universities with high research activities.
From fall 2022 and fall 2023, first-time graduate student enrollment rose by 3.1% with almost all types of institutions reporting increases. Doctoral or professional universities had the greatest increase at 11.6% in enrollment. Of particular note was the increased first-time enrollment of individuals from underrepresented groups, with Black/African American students increasing by 6.3% and Latinx students increasing by 7.6%.
Dr. Jorge Burmicky, an assistant professor in the Department of Educational Leadership & Policy Studies in the School of Education at Howard University, said there is a growing interest among students in pursuing a terminal degree in higher education
“Howard being an HBCU that offers such a terminal degree, it’s very appealing to students, especially students who never had the opportunity to attend an HBCU,” said Burmicky. “A lot of people need the terminal degree to advance in their careers. That’s where we’re seeing the most gains, people who are already employed in the field, but they need the credential to make sure they don’t have a ceiling on their career opportunities.”
From fall 2022 to fall 2023, total graduate enrollment increased for Latinx (1.5%), Black/African American (1.6%) and Native American/Pacific Islander (3.8%), but decreased for white and Asian students.
