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News Release 13-113

Latest Data Show Part-Time Graduate Enrollment in Science and Engineering Growing at a Higher Rate Than That of Full-Time Enrollment

doctoral student looks into a left ventricular simulator tank.

From 2010 to 2011, growth in part-time graduate enrollment outpaced that of full-time enrollment.


June 20, 2013

This material is available primarily for archival purposes. Telephone numbers or other contact information may be out of date; please see current contact information at media contacts.

From 2010 to 2011, enrollment of part-time graduate students in science and engineering (S&E) fields grew at a higher rate than that of full-time S&E graduate students for the first time since 2005.

The new finding comes from a report released today by the National Science Foundation that reveals that enrollment of part-time S&E graduate students increased 1.6 percent versus 0.5 percent for full-time S&E graduate students from 2010 to 2011.

During the past decade, enrollment of full-time graduate students in S&E grew almost 25 percent, from approximately 325,000 students in 2002 to approximately 411,200 students in 2011. Enrollment of part-time students increased nearly 15 percent, from approximately 129,300 students in 2002 to approximately 149,700 students in 2011.

For more information on this report, please contact Kelly Kang.

Please visit the NSF's National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics for more reports and other products.

-NSF-

Media Contacts
Deborah Wing, NSF, (703) 292-5344, email: dwing@nsf.gov

Program Contacts
Kelly H. Kang, NSF, (703) 292-7796, email: kkang@nsf.gov

The U.S. National Science Foundation propels the nation forward by advancing fundamental research in all fields of science and engineering. NSF supports research and people by providing facilities, instruments and funding to support their ingenuity and sustain the U.S. as a global leader in research and innovation. With a fiscal year 2023 budget of $9.5 billion, NSF funds reach all 50 states through grants to nearly 2,000 colleges, universities and institutions. Each year, NSF receives more than 40,000 competitive proposals and makes about 11,000 new awards. Those awards include support for cooperative research with industry, Arctic and Antarctic research and operations, and U.S. participation in international scientific efforts.

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