Recruitment, Admissions, Trends, and Tensions Graduate School EM 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 – 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 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

Racial/Ethnic Enrollment: Fall 95 – Fall 08

Total and White Enrollment: Fall 95 – Fall 08

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

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, assistants receive a stipend < the tuition waiver benefit

Median Assistantship Stipends

Difference Between NIU Stipends and Tuition/Fee Charges Compared to Other Institutions

R & D Expenditures: FY 2007

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 : greatest growth in the broad fields of physical sciences, engineering, and health sciences : greatest growth – ACCY, health and medicine, psychology, C&I, industrial engineering, higher education, special education, library science, philosophy

Undergraduate Enrollment: Fall 75 – Fall 08

Graduate Enrollment: Fall 75 – Fall 09

Graduate Enrollment

Enrollment Trends at NIU 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

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