Universities Report Growth in U.S. Citizen and Permanent Resident Enrollment and Declines in Temporary Visa Holders at Master’s and Doctoral Levels Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic - NSF 22-313 - Summary of graduate education impact

Oct 15, 2026

Data from the NSF–NIH 2020 Survey of Graduate Students and Postdoctorates in Science and Engineering used a COVID Impact Module to examine pandemic effects on SEH graduate enrollment, doctoral funding, time-to-completion policies, and employment of postdocs and nonfaculty researchers. Coordinator self-reports indicate complex, institution-dependent changes, with uncertainty varying notably across U.S. citizen/permanent resident versus temporary visa enrollment and support. The brief also summarizes policy adjustments, including reduced admissions and altered doctoral completion and funding practices during fall 2020.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages11

Reading Time28 min

AccessFree to download

Graduate Student Enrollment Trends and Funding

Changes in enrollment and financial support (fall 2020 vs fall 2019)

Changes to graduate programs and doctoral policies (COVID-19)

InfoBrief Universities Report Growth in U.S. Citizen and Permanent Resident Enrollment along with Declines in Enrollment of Temporary Visa Holders at Master’s and Doctoral Levels Duetothe COVID-19 Pandemic NSF 22-313 | January 2022 Michael I. Yamaner The COVID-19 pandemic impacted the ability of colleges and universities to hold in-person classes and conduct vital research. After closures in March 2020, and the transition to largely online studies to complete the academic year, U.S. educational institutions made difficult decisions regarding how to hold classes in the fall 2020 semester. To understand the pandemic’s effects on graduate science, engineering, and health (SEH) education, the 2020 Survey of Graduate Students and Postdoctorates in Science and Engineering (GSS) included a COVID Impact Module (referred to from here on as the module) . The module included questions about the pandemic’s influence on institutional practices related to doctoral funding, time-to-degree completion, and postdoctoral appointees (postdocs) and nonfaculty researchers (NFRs) . These questions provide valuable information about the institutional changes related to graduate students, postdocs, and NFRs. Articles on the impact of the pandemic on graduate education have generally focused on declining enrollment among temporary visa holders.1 While the results of the items in the module provide some support for these findings, they also show significant variation by institution and suggest that the impact of the pandemic on fall 2020 enrollment and funding trends at schools remained difficult for many GSS coordinators, who respond to the GSS on behalf of their respective schools, to quantify even at the end of the fall term (figure 1) . This InfoBrief presents data collected in the COVID Impact Module of the National Science Foundation–National Institutes of Health (NSF-NIH) 2020 GSS, fielded at the end of the fall 2020 semester or quarter. The GSS coordinators responded to the module before completing the standard GSS, answering a series of questions about changes in policies and student counts as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Key findings, described below, relate to graduate (i.e., master’s and doctoral) enrollment in SEH programs, doctoral funding and time-to-completion policies, and the employment of postdocsand NFRs. All of the findings discussed below are based on coordinator responses to this module and thus reflect the coordinators self-reported understanding of the changes and trends at their schools. Figure 1 Changes in enrollment and financial support in fall 2020 compared to fall 2019, by graduate student type and citizenship status 0 Source(s): National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, Survey of Graduate Students and Postdoctorates in Science and Engineering, 2020 COVID Impact Module. Graduate Student Enrollment Trends and Funding The responses coordinators provided hint at a complex story about school-level changes in enrollment and policies resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. The coordinators were asked if enrollment and funding of graduate students from fall 2019 to fall 2020 were approximately stable, increased, decreased, or if they did not know. Their responses provided estimates of aggregate trends across schools. Coordinators’ responses also indicated a level of uncertainty—approximately 10%–12% of coordinators reported uncertainty about trends in U.S. citizen and permanent resident enrollment, 20%–23% on items related to temporary visa holder enrollment and financial support, and 11%–25% on questions related to graduate program policies at their schools (figure 1, table 1) . Table 1 Changes to graduate programs and doctoral completion and funding policies in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, by 2018 Carnegie Classification and control of institution: 2020 (Number and percent) | Item responses | Total | Very high research activity | | High research
activity | | All othe

FAQs

What data source supports the findings in this InfoBrief?

The findings are based on the COVID Impact Module in the NSF–NIH 2020 Survey of Graduate Students and Postdoctorates in Science and Engineering (GSS), answered by GSS coordinators at participating institutions.

How did the pandemic affect graduate enrollment and funding compared with the previous year?

Coordinator responses suggest a complex pattern of institutional changes rather than a uniform trend, including notable differences by graduate student type and citizenship status.

Which areas of doctoral education policies does the brief focus on?

It focuses on doctoral time-to-completion policies, doctoral funding policies, and related impacts on graduate students, postdocs, and nonfaculty researchers.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Riley West