The Internet certainly has its advantages for graduate students seeking Masters degrees and PhD programs internationally, but nothing replaces good old-fashioned face-to-face contact, according to new research by the London-based team behind the QS World Grad School Tour, the world's largest series of international grad school education fairs.

Peter MacDonald, Director of the QS World Grad School Tour elaborates: "We have conducted research that indicates that though the popularity of the Internet for basic research into graduate schools is now well established, the opportunity to meet universities face to face at education fairs, through representatives or alumni interviews and other kinds of presentations are just as important."

The QS Graduate Applicant Research 2007 indicates that behind the use of the Internet as a research method, attending education fairs, meeting admissions directors, education agents and alumni still remain as amongst the most important ways of making a decision about where to study a graduate degree.

Kristen Williams, Executive Director of Graduate Admissions at George Washington University (GWU) in Washington DC attends education fairs all over the world: "As a university we still like to meet people and find out about their personality and whether they are a good fit academically and personally for our graduate programs. Attending education fairs and having alumni meet students is therefore still very important."

North American students will have the opportunity to attend one of the QS World Grad School Tour events when it visits New York (September 16), Boston (September 20) and Toronto (September 23), and brings with it more than 40 US and international graduate schools, including Cass, Columbia, Kings College London, the University of Melbourne, Bocconi University and others from throughout Europe.

Full details of the QS World Grad School Tour North American events can be found at www.topgraduate.com.

Notes for editors:
The QS World Grad School Tour offers a unique opportunity for potential graduate candidates to meet admissions officers of the world's top universities face-to-face at venues around the world. Candidates can register for free at www.topgraduate.com. Now in its seventh year, the Tour will be visiting 40 cities in 26 different countries in the Fall 2007. QS provides guidance for higher education and career opportunities, supporting high achievers to progress towards their future goals. The QS team includes internationally recognized experts in the higher and business education arena and operates globally from offices in London, Paris, Singapore, Tokyo, Beijing, Sydney, Washington DC, and Johannesburg.