WSJ reports:
Students from China may be rethinking the value of a U.S. graduate
degree.
Ending nearly a decade of double-digit growth, applications from Chinese
citizens to U.S. graduate schools declined 5% for the coming academic year amid
worries about unstable funding for science programs and tight immigration
policies.
Debra Stewart, president of the Council of Graduate Schools, says budget
spats in Washington have thrown into question the funding of academic programs
that rely heavily on federal dollars, such as science and engineering. Students
pursuing advanced degrees in so-called STEM fields—science, technology,
engineering and math—often receive multiyear financial-aid packages in the form
of fellowships, but many schools can't guarantee that long-term assistance now
because of the uncertainty of federal funding.
