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The Effect of the Pandemic on Engineering Applications
Compiled by Joseph Roy
In May 2021, ASEE sent a survey to institutions requesting numbers for fall 2021 domestic and international student applications, as well as numbers for fall 2020 to use as a baseline. Since the Society’s Profiles of Engineering and Engineering Technology data collection does not differentiate between domestic and international applicants, this survey allowed for investigation of the pandemic’s effect specifically on international students. A falloff in international student interest had been reported after the prior administration’s July 2020 policy change requiring in-person attendance to maintain student visa status coupled with the general difficulty of travel during the pandemic.
Thirty-six institutions participated in the survey, with 14 private and 22 public institutions responding. The data to the right represent the median change in applications, categorized by institution type. Institutions were asked to report the data as of April 30 for both 2020 and 2021 to allow results to be compared regardless of application deadline.
Discussions with several institutions as well other external stakeholders have pointed to a marked increase in applications when graduate admissions are made test-optional. Large increases in international student applications for some institutions reflects both the shift to test-optional as well as the loosening of restrictions for the pandemic (specifically, for required in-person interviews). However, domestic applicants to graduate programs have decreased. While several doctoral programs in the humanities and social sciences suspended admissions for fall 2021, no engineering program stated that they were suspending admissions or lowering the number of students admitted due to the pandemic. This may be because of the potentially strong job market in engineering and technical occupations as the US economy emerges from the widespread shutdowns in March 2020. Finally, some institutions reported that beyond the overall variability in application numbers, they witnessed a shift in the pool of applicants for fall 2021 to more local rather than geographically dispersed populations. This could reflect students’ desire to stay close to home due to uncertainty caused by the pandemic.
Design by Toni Rigolosi