the number of applicants applying to top graduate programs has declined by more than 10% since the mid-1990s,
however the number of students admitted to these same programs has not decreased commensurately and the caliber of the students admitted, as measured by their undergraduate GPAs and standardized test scores, has actually improved markedly.
which of the following, if true, best explains the seemingly contractictory trends decribed above?
A. the number of applicants applying to second and third tier graduate programs has also declined by more than 10% since the mid 1990s
B. many potential graduate school applicants are put off by the ever increasing cost of a graduate education.
C. Because of improved economic opportunities, general interest in leaving the work force to go to graduate school has waned in recent years
D. the greater premium awarded to degrees from top graduate programs has made the applicants pool increasingly competitive, discouraging those with less impressive academic records from applying
E. the number of women applying to top graduate programs has increased since the mid-1990s, while at the same time the number of men applying to top graduate programs has declined.