Cornell's Graduate School tuition will be dropping 10.1 percent for Fall 2008 to $29,500 for students in research-degree programs that are affiliated with endowed colleges. The rates are expected to fall another 30 percent over the next three years. For other research degree programs, tuition will be frozen at the older 2006-7 rates.

The University has stated that the goal is to decrease research degree tuition in all fields in order to reach a 2011-12 target of $20,000. Research degrees at Cornell include the M.A., M.S., and Ph.D. Those students in professional degree programs and professional schools are not included in the new plan.

The changes are part of a larger effort by the Graduate School to reduce principal investigators' costs while maintaining strong financial support for grad students. Cornell will continue to pay half tuition of graduate research assistantships. The new rates represent nearly two years of discussion with various faculty committees, deans and vice provosts about the cost of graduate support.

When fully implemented, Cornell will be forgoing more than $4.5M in graduate tuition revenue annually.

If you're pondering whether to go for that post-graduate degree or not, you may want to look over our handy timeline, just to see what's involved. The road to graduate school is long – and can be complex and sometimes confusing. Check out our updated timeline and see if this is the road you want to travel.

A new report from the Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) offers evidence and provides numerous examples of how U.S. graduate education contributes to the public good.

Graduate Education and the Public Good was released today at a forum held at the Library of Congress, during which Members of Congress and alumni of U.S. graduate schools provided their perspectives on how graduate education contributes to our economic, social, and cultural vitality.

The report includes data that demonstrate how a world-class graduate education system has benefited the country. But more importantly, it highlights examples of people who have earned graduate degrees from U.S. universities and have gone on to make important contributions at the local, state, national, and international levels.

The report and a companion document showcase over 300 graduates, nominated by 134 CGS member institutions, who have made significant contributions in a myriad of ways. These exemplars include scientists and researchers, entrepreneurs and innovators, government, business, and nonprofit leaders, teachers and academics – such as three Members of Congress and at least seven Nobel Prize winners.

These "exemplars" also include many international graduates, both those who remained in the U.S. and many who returned to their own countries to become leaders there, revealing just how critical it is for our nation to continue welcoming highly qualified international students to our shores.

The report's release comes at a time of both increased scrutiny of higher education in the U.S. and increasing global competition for students and scholars, as other nations expand their own graduate education systems.

The American University in Cairo today announced that the Center for Electronic Journalism is changing its name and launching a new two-year Master’s degree in Television and Digital Journalism.

The Center will now be called the Kamal Adham Center for Journalism Training and Research, in recognition of a $5 million contribution from Faisal Adham in the name of his late father.

The contribution will be used for construction of state-of-the-art digital training facilities on the new 260-acre AUC campus in New Cairo, and to establish a $4 million endowment to support continued operations of the Center. Classes at the new campus begin in the fall of 2008.

AUC also announced it is now taking applications for a new two-year MA in Television and Digital Journalism, which will be launched in the fall.

The MA is designed for working journalists interested in expanding their skills, as well as recent graduates from undergraduate programs. Applications are being accepted for a fall 2008 start.

According to new survey results released by the Council of Graduate Schools, the growth in international graduate student applications at American colleges and universities has slowed considerably. The number of international applicants grew only 3 percent in 2008, after gains of 9 and 12 percent in the preceding two years.

Furthermore, 38 percent of institutions surveyed said there were declines in international student applications over the last year. At least 65 percent of graduate schools that have consistently participated in the survey still have not recovered from sharp post-September 11 declines.

According to the council, much of the slowdown can be attributed to changes in applications from the top three sending countries — India, China, and Korea. Applications from India, which had increased 26 and 12 percent in the last two years, were flat for 2008, as were applications from Korea. Applications from China increased 12 percent in 2008, a slowdown from 19 percent growth in 2007.