Ibrahim Gardner
The number of STEM graduates in the US is an important indicator of the country's future economic growth and global competitiveness. In the 2020-21 academic year, US universities awarded 437,302 STEM bachelor's degrees and 146,573 STEM master's degrees. While the US has historically been a leader in STEM education, it now lags behind other countries in terms of the percentage of STEM graduates, with only 20% of graduates obtaining a STEM degree. This is in contrast to countries like China, which leads in the percentage of STEM graduates, with over 40% of college graduates obtaining a STEM degree. To maintain its competitiveness, the US should focus on expanding its domestic supply of STEM graduates and attracting foreign talent.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of STEM bachelor's degrees awarded in 2015-16 | 331,000 |
| Percentage of bachelor's degrees awarded in STEM fields in 2015-16 | 18% |
| Number of STEM bachelor's degrees awarded in 2020-21 | 437,302 |
| Number of Master's degrees in STEM fields awarded in 2020-21 | 146,573 |
| Percentage of STEM graduates in the US in 2020 | 20% |
| Average US mathematics score in 2018 | Lower than the OECD average |
| Average US science score in 2018 | Higher than the OECD average |
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What You'll Learn
- Bachelor's degrees: 331,000 STEM bachelor's degrees awarded in 2015-16
- Master's degrees: 146,573 STEM master's degrees awarded in 2020-21
- Doctoral degrees: 35% of STEM doctoral degrees awarded to temporary visa holders in 2021
- Racial disparities: Bachelor's degrees awarded to Asian students almost doubled the overall percentage
- International students: US is the most popular destination for internationally mobile students
Bachelor's degrees: 331,000 STEM bachelor's degrees awarded in 2015-16
In the 2015-16 academic year, approximately 331,000 STEM bachelor's degrees were awarded to students in the United States. This accounts for around 18% of the 1.8 million bachelor's degrees awarded in total during that period.
The percentage of bachelor's degrees awarded in STEM fields varied by race and ethnicity. For example, Asian students were awarded STEM degrees at almost double the overall rate (33%). Students of two or more races were also awarded STEM degrees at a higher rate than the overall average (20%). In contrast, Hispanic, Pacific Islander, American Indian/Alaska Native, and Black students were awarded STEM degrees at lower rates than the overall average (15%, 15%, 14%, and 12%, respectively).
Bachelor's degrees represent nearly 70% of all S&E degrees awarded, with the largest numbers conferred in the social sciences, followed by biological and agricultural sciences. Master's degrees can either prepare graduates for some STEM careers or serve as a stepping stone toward a doctoral degree. STEM master's degrees more than doubled from 2000 to 2019, with the most significant increases in computer sciences and engineering.
The United States is a top destination for international students, attracting 15% of all international students worldwide in 2020. International students on temporary visas comprise a small proportion of S&E bachelor's degrees but a much larger share of S&E graduate degrees. In 2021, temporary visa holders earned 7% of S&E bachelor's degrees and 34% of S&E master's degrees.
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Master's degrees: 146,573 STEM master's degrees awarded in 2020-21
In the 2020-21 school year, 146,573 STEM master's degrees were awarded in the United States. This accounts for about 7% of the 2.1 million bachelor's degrees conferred in the same year.
Master's degrees in STEM fields have been identified as being particularly beneficial for career prospects. Fortune magazine and the career site PayScale found that 13 of the top 15 graduate degrees for getting jobs are in STEM fields. This is reflected in the fact that more gainfully employed STEM professionals have master's degrees than PhDs, with the exception of life and physical scientists.
The gender distribution of STEM master's degrees is uneven, with more men than women earning these qualifications. In the 2015-2016 academic year, 63.1% of graduate certificates awarded in STEM fields went to men, compared to 36.9% for women. However, this imbalance is not consistent across all STEM fields. Disciplines such as education, business, and health sciences tend to have more female graduates, and these fields have seen robust growth in the number of graduate certificates awarded.
International students have also been active participants in STEM master's programs in the United States. In 2013, international students received more than 4 out of 10 of all master's degrees awarded in computer sciences, economics, and engineering. Within engineering, students on temporary visas earned more than half of the master's degrees in electrical and chemical engineering.
The United States has historically been considered a global leader in STEM education, but its position is changing. While the percentage of college graduates with STEM degrees in the United States is 20%, other countries like China, Russia, Germany, and India have higher percentages, with China leading at over 40%. The rapid growth of STEM graduates in Asia and the emergence of new players like Brazil and Mexico signal a shifting landscape in global STEM education.
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Doctoral degrees: 35% of STEM doctoral degrees awarded to temporary visa holders in 2021
In 2021, 35% of STEM doctoral degrees in the US were awarded to temporary visa holders. This percentage has been increasing over the years, with temporary visa holders earning 37% of US STEM research doctorates from 2018 to 2021. The US is the most popular destination for internationally mobile students, hosting 15% of all international students globally in 2020.
International students on temporary visas are a vital source of STEM workers for the US economy. They are more likely than US citizens and permanent residents to pursue STEM degrees, with 49% of temporary visa holders opting for STEM fields compared to only 35% of US citizens or permanent residents. In 2021, temporary visa holders earned 3% of STEM associate's degrees, 7% of bachelor's degrees, 34% of master's degrees, and 35% of doctoral degrees. The number of master's degrees awarded in STEM fields increased by 41% from 2012 to 2021, with 53% of master's degrees in computer and information sciences going to students on temporary visas in 2021.
The Biden Administration has expanded the STEM temporary visa program to support international students. This is because international students are increasingly contributing to academic research, with 57% of total master's degrees in STEM fields and one-third of STEM doctorates awarded to temporary visa holders in 2019. The biggest change to the program was the addition of 22 new fields, including cloud computing, data visualization, and data science. These changes aim to address the severe worker shortage in STEM fields and encourage more international students to choose the US as their study destination.
Over the past decade, the STEM workforce in the US has grown in number and as a percentage of the total workforce, increasing from 22% in 2011 to 24% in 2021. The US STEM workforce of 36 million people comprises 23% of the total US workforce. Foreign-born workers make up 45% of doctoral workers in STEM occupations, and a large majority of these foreign-born STEM doctorate recipients intend to stay in the US after graduation. Among the top countries of origin, 80% of doctorate recipients from China, India, Iran, Taiwan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Nepal indicated they would remain in the US, while only 15% of Saudi Arabian and 35% of Iraqi doctorate recipients planned to stay.
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Racial disparities: Bachelor's degrees awarded to Asian students almost doubled the overall percentage
While the number of STEM graduates in the US lags behind other countries, with only 20% of graduates obtaining a STEM degree, racial disparities exist in the distribution of bachelor's degrees. Notably, the percentage of Asian students earning bachelor's degrees is significantly higher than the overall percentage.
In 2016, the percentage of Asian adults aged 25 and older who had attained a bachelor's degree or higher varied across subgroups. Asian Indian adults had the highest percentage at 74%, followed by Koreans at 56%, and Chinese at 55%. The average for all Asian adults was 54%, with some subgroups, such as Bhutanese, having much lower percentages at 10%.
The racial disparities in bachelor's degree attainment have significant implications for labour market opportunities and economic outcomes. Between 2013 and 2015, if black and Hispanic graduates had earned bachelor's degrees at the same rate as their white peers, the US would have seen an additional 1 million bachelor's degrees awarded. This highlights the disparities in educational opportunities and outcomes for different racial groups in the US.
Furthermore, the disparities are not limited to bachelor's degrees but also extend to specific fields of study. HBCUs, for example, account for 15% of African American graduates but produce 20% of all engineering bachelor's degrees awarded to African American students. This suggests that certain institutions may be more successful at attracting and supporting students from underrepresented backgrounds in specific fields.
While Asian students have higher bachelor's degree attainment rates overall, it is important to recognize that there may still be variations within specific fields of study or among different Asian subgroups. Additionally, the higher attainment rates among Asian students do not negate the existence of racial disparities affecting other racial groups in the US. Addressing these disparities is crucial to ensuring equitable access to education and improving labour market outcomes for all racial groups.
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International students: US is the most popular destination for internationally mobile students
The United States is the most popular destination for internationally mobile students. In the 2022/23 academic year, there were 1,057,188 international students studying in the US, a number that increased to over 1.1 million (1,126,690) in 2023/2024, marking an all-time high. This increase in international students coincides with the 75th anniversary of the Open Doors Report, which is the leading annual benchmark for international educational exchange in the United States. The Open Doors Report is published by the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and the Institute of International Education (IIE). The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) works to improve foreign relations and strengthen national security, as well as support U.S. international leadership and provide a range of domestic benefits by breaking down barriers.
International students in the US come from a variety of countries, with China and India being the top two places of origin. In 2022/23, there were 289,526 Chinese students and 268,923 Indian students in the US, totaling over half of all international students in the country. Other countries that send a significant number of students to the US include Bangladesh, Colombia, Ghana, Italy, Nepal, Pakistan, and Spain. In 2023/24, India sent 331,602 students to the US, a 23% increase from the previous year, while China experienced a 4% decline to 277,398 students.
International students in the US pursue a range of fields of study, with engineering and math & computer science being among the most common. In 2020-21, 437,302 STEM bachelor's degrees were awarded in the US, along with 146,573 master's degrees in STEM fields. STEM refers to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, and graduates in these fields can aid in developing a highly skilled technical workforce, enabling technological innovation and economic growth. However, compared to other countries, the United States falls behind, with just 20% of graduates obtaining a STEM degree.
The US is home to many world-renowned schools, including the Ivy League Colleges, which provide education sought after by both foreign and local students. Foreign students in the US pay some of the highest fees, with an average of $24,914, while American students at colleges in New England pay an average of $14,900 for tuition alone. Despite the high costs, the number of international students in the US has remained stable or increased in recent years, reflecting the country's popularity as a destination for higher education.
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Frequently asked questions
437,302 students graduated with STEM bachelor's degrees in the US in 2020-21.
In 2020, 20% of graduates in the US obtained a STEM degree. This is behind China (over 40%), Russia, Germany, Iran, and India (all over 30%), and Mexico and France (both above 20%).
146,573 STEM master's degrees were awarded in the US in 2020-21.
