Growth in the number of graduate students enrolled in science programs appears to have halted in fall 1977; estimates indicate a possible one percent downturn. The slowdown in both full- and part-time enrollment at the graduate level may be attributed in part to a steady increase in the number of job opportunities available to graduates below the doctorate level; other influences include continuing decreases in direct federal support to graduate students, rising tuition costs and living expenses, and expiration of veterans' benefits. Full-time enrollment of women in graduate science programs has increased steadily between 1972 and 1976; women accounted for a 27 percent share of the full-time total in 1976, compared to an 18 percent share in 1972. Recent emphasis on affirmative action and equal employment opportunity has been influential. (MSE)