FOREIGN DOCS IN NO HURRY TO LEAVE

ASEE Prism, Apr 2004

FOREIGN DOCTORAL students are increasingly remaining in the United States after receiving their degrees. A study for the National Science Foundation conducted by the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education found that 71 percent of foreigners who received Ph.D.sfrom U.S. schools were still here two years later.

That's up from 49 percent a decade earlier. The study, based on student tax records, offers no reason for the increase. But Michael G. Finn, the economist who conducted the study, told the Wall Street Journal that though the reasons are unclear, the United States stands to benefit from the phenomenon. Computer, electrical, and electronic engineering grads were most likely to remain in the United States. They had a stay rate of 80 percent. Seventy-nine percent of computer science and physical science doctorates remained. Among all other engineering grads, the stay rate was 73 percent. Fully 96 percent of Chinese doctorates stayed in the United States, and grads from India and Eastern Europe also had high retention rates. But only 21 percent of South Korean students and 24 percent of Japanese stayed here. Again, Finn said, he couldn't explain why students from some countries were particularly likely to remain in the United States. It also appears that foreign Ph.D. recipients tend to stay longer than a couple of years, as well. Of those who earned their diplomas in 1996, 65 percent were still stateside five years later.