Policy Implications of International Graduate Students and Postdoctoral Scholars in the United States

In an effort to address the complex conditions affecting the relative standing of US Science and Engineering (S&E), the National Academies charged the Committee on Science, Engineering, and Public Policy (COSEPUP) to address the following questions: What is known about the impact of international graduate students and postdoctoral scholars on the advancement of US science, US undergraduate and graduate educational institutions, the US and other national economies, and US national security and international relations? What is the impact of the US academic system on international graduate students' and postdoctoral scholars' intellectual development, careers, and perceptions of the United States? How does it differ if they stay in the United States or return to their home countries? What is known about the impact of international student enrollment on the recruitment of domestic S&E talent in the United States? What is the status of working conditions for international graduate students and postdoctoral scholars compared with their domestic counterparts? What are the impacts of various policies that reshape or reduce the flow of international students and postdoctoral scholars (for example, visas, immigration rules, and working conditions)? What findings and conclusions can be drawn from the answers to the preceding questions? What principles should guide national policy regarding international graduate students and postdoctoral scholars?