Recruitment, Admissions, Trends, and Tensions
Recruitment, Admissions, Trends, and Tensions
Graduate SchoolEM Task force Presentation
Admissions Staffing
• Director of Admissions, DSO, & OnBase Goddess
• International Admissions/Record Officer & DSO
• Domestic Admissions/Record Officer & recruitment
• Domestic Admissions/Records Representative
• Two “clerk typists”
Application Process
• Dynamic application• The Amazon Model
– Immediate message– Within 2 working days, electronic
acknowledgment and directions re:•using MYNIU to track progress and •submitting Statement of Purpose
– Email sent to referees with instructions on uploading letter of recommendation
Admissions Materials
• Electronic documents – Application (circa 9,000/year: peak
November-March)– Letters of recommendation– Statement of Purpose– GRE/GMAT
• Paper documents– Transcripts– Other test scores
• Program-specific materials– Portfolio, writing sample, interview
Admissions ProcessingAdmissions Processing
• Initial review of application materials
– Correct errors– Check authenticity and accreditation– Maintenance of PS checklists– Minimum standards for GPA and TOEFL/IELTS test scores
• Substantive review by program faculty• Programs make admission recommendations• Grad School accepts or rejects recommendations and formally admits or denies
Recruitment Office
• 100 domestic events/year (i.e. university visits, graduate fairs, corporations)
• Additional visits to Europe and Africa• Partner with ISFO• Partner with faculty
Recruitment Process
• Distribute contact info from fairs/ visits• GS follows-up with prospects• GS follows-up with applicants• GS follows-up with programs• GS communicates with admitted students
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010
Year
Enr
olle
d S
tude
nts Black
Hispanic
Asian
Am In
Non-Res
Racial/Ethnic Enrollment: Fall 95 – Fall 08
Total and White Enrollment: Fall 95 – Fall 08
0
1000
2000
3000
4000
5000
6000
7000
1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010
Year
Enr
olle
d S
tude
nts
White
Total
What Prospects Tell Us
• Programs are unresponsive to inquiries• Location of programs discourages
applications/ attendance • Cohort structure
• Program mix
Number of Graduate Programs by Type
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
Masters
PhD
EdD
Why Do Admitted Students Not Attend?
• Life interferes• Visa issues• Costs • Safety school• No assistantship offer/uncompetitive
assistantship offer
A word about assistantships
• Fall 2009: 1,310 assistants• 22% of all graduate students; 27% of
degree-seekers• Stipend range: $195 - $23,260 (with tuition
waiver benefit: $2,661 - $30,478)• Average (actual): $8,312; Median $8,440. • Annualized (9 months) average : $8,757;
Median $9,000• 503 assistants receive a stipend < the
tuition waiver benefit
Median Assistantship Stipends
$0
$2,000
$4,000
$6,000
$8,000
$10,000
$12,000
$14,000
$16,000
$18,000
NIU Median National Median
Difference Between NIU Stipends and Tuition/Fee Charges Compared to Other Institutions
$0
$1,000
$2,000
$3,000
$4,000
$5,000
$6,000
ENGL HIST MATH PHYS GEOL POLS PSYC ANTH CHEM GEOG BIOS
R & D Expenditures: FY 2007
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
Another Word about Graduate Students and Money
• Graduate students don’t pay– $10 million in waivers to assistants/year– $17 million in waivers to all GRADs– $10 million in salaries/year
• Graduate students do pay– Estimate of $20 million per Fall and
Spring in tuition and fees paid by graduate students
– Services rendered
National Enrollment Trends
• Fall 2008 – circa 2.3 million in graduate school nationwide– 85% of first-time graduate students in a master’s
or certificate program– education, business, and health sciences
accounted for 50% of first-time enrollment • 1998-2008: greatest growth in the broad fields of
physical sciences, engineering, and health sciences• 2003-2008: greatest growth – ACCY, health and
medicine, psychology, C&I, industrial engineering, higher education, special education, library science, philosophy
Undergraduate Enrollment:Fall 75 – Fall 08
15000
15500
16000
16500
17000
17500
18000
18500
19000
19500
1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010
Year
Enr
olle
d S
tude
nts
Undergraduate
Graduate Enrollment:Fall 75 – Fall 09
5000
5500
6000
6500
7000
7500
8000
8500
9000
1974 1979 1984 1989 1994 1999 2004 2009
Year
Enr
olle
d S
tude
nts
Graduate
Graduate Enrollment
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
12000
14000
Enrollment Trends at NIU 06-09
• CBUS: 818/777 down 41 or -5%• CEDU: 2,077/1,747 down 330 or -16%• CEET: 210/273 up 63 or 30%• CHHS: 423/435 up 12 or 3%• CLAS: 1,280/1,243 down 43 or -3%• CVPA: 241/218 down 23 or -9.3%• SAL: 1,202/1,200 down 2• TOTAL: 6,251/5,893 down 358 or -6%
Graduate Enrollments by College: Fall 2009
Percent Grad Students by College: Fall 2009
CBUS13%
CEDU30%
CEET5%
CHHS7%
CLAS21%
CVPA4%
SAL20%
Take-Aways
• Masters-level enrollment, to a lesser extent SALs, drive enrollment
• A relatively small number of programs, but comparatively large enrollment (i.e. juxtaposed to UG enrollment and to comparison group)
• Predominately part-time enrollment• Highly competitive local market, especially
in education and business• Highly competitive global market,
especially for doctoral students and in the STEM disciplines