President Barack Obama's aspiration that the United States boast the highest number of College graduates worldwide by 2020 may be improbable, according to projections released by the U.S. Department of Education on Sept. 21, Inside Higher Ed reported. Despite a projected decline in the number of high school graduates between the 2007-2008 academic year and the 2020-2021 academic year, college enrollment during that period will increase by 13 percent to 23 million students as more 25 to 29-year-olds choose to enroll in postsecondary institutions. The rate at which this increase occurs, however, will slow compared to in previous years, according to Inside Higher Ed. The projections point to a 46 percent increase in college enrollment among Hispanic and Latino students and a 25 percent increase in enrollment for black students. The gender gap, however, is expected to widen, as the number of women enrolling in higher education will likely increase by 16 percent compared to an 8-percent increase among men, Inside Higher Ed reported.
The number of new students enrolled in graduate school programs in the United States declined by 1.1 percent compared to the previous year, marking the first time a downward trend has occurred since 2003, Inside Higher Ed reported. The study conducted by the Council of Graduate Schools showed that while enrollment in PhD programs increased 1.5 percent, the number of individuals enrolled in master's degree and graduate certificate programs declined 1.6 percent, with the largest drops in education and business degree programs. Although individuals often look to improve their employment prospects during times of economic downturn by pursuing advanced degrees, some may wish to avoid accumulating significant debts given that employment prospects for masters' recipients are not particularly strong, according to Inside Higher Ed. Despite the overall decline, the number of international students enrolled in U.S. graduate schools rose by 4.7 percent. Women enrolled in graduate programs continue to outnumber men, but remain the minority in science-related graduate programs, Inside Higher Ed reported.
Students attending smaller colleges are more likely to have diverse groups of friends than those enrolled in larger colleges, according to The Chronicle of Higher Education. Researchers from the University of Kansas handed out questionnaires to pairs of students at the university and four small schools in the state in order to assess the students' views on race, lifestyles and relationship with each other. The study determined that as the number of students at a university increases, students' opportunity to befriend those who share common interests rises, which prompts students to gravitate towards others with similar attitudes and beliefs. The study also found that at smaller and less diverse college campuses, students rated their friends as closer, Inside Higher Ed reported.
