The enrollment rate for international graduate students at UW-Madison has risen steadily in recent years, increasing by over 5 percent in the past decade.
From 2007-’17, enrollment of international graduate students has increased from 414 students to 725, with a majority of students studying in STEM fields.
Parmesh Ramanathan said the enrollment increase may be due to UW-Madison’s efforts to create new master’s programs as well as the university’s recruitment process.
An additional factor that can affect the enrollment of an international graduate student is the economy in their home country.
"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," Ramanathan said. “When their economy is doing poorly, that’s when they want to leave.”
International graduate students can benefit the university by diversifying the environment on campus, Ramanathan said.
“Each [international graduate student] comes with a diverse life experience, so they bring different viewpoints to campus,” Ramanathan said.
