2021 Graduate Enrollment in Science, Engineering, and Health Fields at All-Time High as Postdocs Continue to Decline

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted graduate enrollment patterns in science, engineering, and health fields. Enrollment declines seen in 2020 among temporary visa holders and first-time, full-time master ’ s and doctoral students were reversed in 2021, driven by a 44.3 % increase in first-time, full-time master ’ s students and by a 13.4 % increase in first-time, full-time doctoral students between 2020 and 2021. Full-time master ’ s enrollment and doctoral enrollment in 2021 were the highest enrollments reported since separate data for master ’ s and doctoral students became available in 2017. Conversely, overall postdoctoral ( postdoc ) appointments continued to decline. These data are from the 2021 Survey of Graduate Students and Postdoctorates in Science and Engineering, sponsored by the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics within the National Science Foundation and by the National Institutes of Health.
Source: NSF - Statistics on U.S. Science and Engineering Resources - Category: Statistics Source Type: news