2008/2009 Surveys of Indiana University Graduate Students and Chairs/Directors of Graduate Studies

1. 2008/2009 Surveys of Indiana University Graduate Students and Chairs/Directors of Graduate Studies

2. Summary of Findings • Two surveys conducted in late fall 2008 to assess impact of funding and Student Academic Appointee (SAA) stipends on recruitment and retention of graduate students at IU • Graduate Student Survey (n=803) and Chair/DGS survey (n=45) both indicate that funding and stipends compare unfavorably to other academic institutions and negatively affect the competitiveness of IU in recruiting and retaining top quality graduate students • Graduate students ranked funding as highest priority in need of attention from university

3. Summary of Findings (cont.) • DGS/Chairs point out importance of graduate students for quality of undergraduate education and research in their own departments • DGS/Chairs indicate structural problem of declining resources to fund enrolled students and attract top recruits to ensure excellence in teaching and research • Funding and stipends differ substantially by school; students without funding borrow large sums in student loans or work additional jobs, which risks impeding their research efforts

4. Survey Results: Sample • Graduate Student Survey: 803 respondents from all major schools (10% of graduate student population); more than half seeking doctoral degree, completed 2-3 years at IU • 51.2% receive SAA funding, 25% no funding, remaining students either tuition remission, health insurance, or stipend

5. Survey Results: Sample (cont.) • Chair/DGS survey: 45 respondents total, 29 DGS, 16 Chairs: from seven different schools (majority in College of Arts and Sciences) • Survey size limits possibility of quantitative interpretations, but important supplement to graduate student survey

6. Results: Graduate Student Recruitment Why Did Graduate Students Choose IU? • Most Important: Reputation, Funding, Curriculum • Important: Quality of Mentoring, Salary, Cost of Living

7. Results: Graduate Student Recruitment (cont.) How Does Each Program Compare? • Favorably: Reputation, Cost of Living, Curriculum, Mentoring, • Social Opportunities • Unfavorably: Funding, Health Insurance, Location of IU, • Workload, Stipends, Opportunities for Spouse/Partner

8. Results: Graduate Student Recruitment (cont.) What Factors Affect Recruitment? • Support (in order): Reputation, Curriculum, Cost of Living, • Mentoring, Funding, Social Opportunities, Health Insurance, • Stipends • Jacobs School of Music: Funding, Stipends, and Health Insurance • clearly ranked as “not supporting recruitment efforts”

9. Results: Graduate Student Retention Why Did Graduate Students Leave IU? • 49.7% of respondents state that fellow students have recently left IU (75-100% still enrolled in program) • Higher in Jacobs School of Music (70.2%), high retention rate in Kelley School of Business and School of Law Reasons for leaving: • Available Funding for Tuition (29.6%) • Curriculum of the Program (27.5%) • Quality of Faculty Mentoring (22.2%) • Stipend for Living Expenses (20.1%) • Least Mentioned: Cost of Living (2.8%) • Did Not Know (29.6%)

10. Results: Graduate Student Funding and Stipends • Impact of Stipends on Graduate Life and Education at IU? • Average graduate student: monthly salary is $957, needs about $5000 in additional funds per year, has borrowed about $10,000-25,000 in loans so far. Half of graduate students work second job (10-20 hrs/week), almost 50% indicate this impedes their own research

11. Results: Graduate Student Funding and Stipends (cont.) Large differences between schools: • College of Arts and Sciences: 80.7% SAA funding • School of Library and Information Science: 55.9% receive no support; most work second jobs with longer hours than average across schools • School of Law: 53.0% no financial support; most take higher student loans • Kelley School of Business: 38.5% no financial support, most take higher student loans • Jacobs School of Music: lowest salary ($605/month), also more likely to work second job

12. Results: Graduate Student Funding and Stipends (cont.) • What Improvements would Graduate Students like to see? • Financial Aid (28.3%) • Stipends for SAAs (26.3%) • Quality of Faculty Mentorship (only 10.7%) • Open ended responses: high frustration, prioritized financial concerns (especially amount of funding or number of SAA positions)

13. Results: GGS/Chair Survey • Recruitment: departments lose up to 50% of top recruits to more competitive offers from other academic institutions • Most helpful factors for recruitment: reputation, curriculum, funding • Funding also named as main constraint for recruiting top choice • Limited resources devoted to graduate student recruitment • Increasing number of admissions and relatively constant funding by university

14. Results: GGS/Chair Survey (cont.) • Graduate Stipends have major impact on undergraduate education through graduate teaching • Stipends also have major impact on research in departments • Compensation of graduate students was ranked as “below average” by high number of respondents • External funding is either not available or low -> departments pay low salaries to meet teaching and research needs

15. Conclusion • Funding, health insurance, stipends, and workload all compare unfavorably to other academic institution • Availability of financial aid is single highest priority for graduate students • Results supported by DGS/Chair survey: lost top recruits to better financial offers, stipends are below average, but graduate student work is crucial for undergraduate education and research • Quality and reputation of IU’s graduate departments and faculty were consistently ranked very high in both surveys -> effect of stipends on recruitment and retention even more important to secure academic reputation