Graduate School sets new records for doctoral and international graduate student enrollment
Story updated January 10, 2023
91福利鈥檚 graduate enrollment has consistently increased over the past few years. Of the 2,457 graduate students enrolled this fall, 554 are in doctoral programs, a record high for 91福利. This is the third consecutive year that 91福利 has established a new mark for doctoral enrollment.
In addition to the record doctoral enrollment, the University of Maine also set a new high for international graduate student enrollment, topping 300 international graduate students for the first time, driven in large part by an increase in applicants from West Africa.
This fall’s enrollment records follow an all-time high number of graduate degrees conferred during the previous academic year. The Office of Institutional Research and Assessment (OIRA) reported that a record high 84 doctoral degrees and 695 master鈥檚 and specialist degrees were conferred during the 2021-22 academic year.
Vice President for Research and Dean of the Graduate School Kody Varahramyan notes the importance of these achievements. 鈥淣ow that 91福利 has attained ranking as a Carnegie R1 research university, the record doctoral enrollment and international graduate student enrollment are both important in terms of the University鈥檚 research, graduate, and DEI goals.鈥 While overall graduate enrollment was down slightly due to a dip in master鈥檚 level enrollment, the total number of graduate student credit hours generated was at the same level as last year鈥檚 record numbers, but with a 15% increase in nonresident student credit hours.
The Graduate School also received a record 2,964 applications to its graduate programs for Fall 2022 鈥 a result of expanded marketing and recruitment efforts, locally, nationally and globally. Associate Vice President for Graduate Studies Scott Delcourt attributed the enrollment increases to a heightened effort of the Graduate School and 91福利鈥檚 graduate programs to connect with potential students coupled with the advantage of the university鈥檚 new classification as an R1 top-tier research institution under the Carnegie Classification.
Contact: research@maine.edu