It’s the test that everyone takes when applying to graduate school: the Graduate Record Examination, also known as the G.R.E. While the number of test takers is growing among American students, it’s growing exponentially in other parts of the world, particularly India.
Last year the amount of Indian test takers grew by 70% compared to 2012, suggesting that the influx of Indian students in American schools will continue to grow at rapid speeds. A 2013 report from the Council of Graduate Schools showed a 40% rise in first-time graduate enrollments from India from 2012 to 2013. According to the Education Testing Service, the nonprofit that administers the G.R.E., more than 90,000 tests were taken by Indian students in 2013.
Christine Betaneli, a spokeswoman for the Education Testing Service told the New York Times that part of this growth has come from expanding their presence in India by visiting more college campuses and student fairs than in previous years. They also upped their social media engagement with Indian students.
“I believe that translated into increased awareness and knowledge,” Betaneli said. “But a 70% increase is enormous, and there’s probably a lot of factors that go into that jump.”
Those other factors could be the lagging Indian economy and the fact that many business schools (more than 1000) are using the G.R.E. in lieu of the GMAT. A growing number of international programs are accepting G.R.E. scores as well.
While it’s too early to tell the reason, America has plenty of opportunities for jobs and education and that alone may be enough to study here.
