Number 159 (Story #3), January 6, 1994 by Phillip F. Schewe and Ben Stein THE NUMBER OF FOREIGN STUDENTS receiving physics PhD's in the U.S. increased from 420 to 650 per year from 1987 to 1992. More than half of the increase is due to students from China. A new AIP survey shows 14,534 physics graduate students enrolled in 1992, the latest year in the sample. Of these 15% were female and 41% were of non-U.S. citizenship. In 1992, 1346 physics PhD's were awarded; of these 11% were to females and 48% were to foreign students, the highest foreign percentage yet recorded. Only 22% of the new foreign PhD's took up employment outside the U.S. The leading physics subfields for new PhD's were condensed matter (35%), particles (12.8%), and nuclear (8.3%). In astronomy in 1992, 93 PhD's were awarded, 18% to females and 16% to foreign students. (For more information contact Patrick Mulvey, 301-209-3076.)