GradSERU Survey

2025 graduate student survey results now available

Cay Leytham-Powell — Wed, 15 Apr 2026 14:24:31 +0000

2025 graduate student survey results now available Cay Leytham-Powell Wed, 04/15/2026 - 08:24

The biennial gradSERU survey examines graduate students’ experiences across the entire spectrum of their graduate career and found С�� Boulder students largely pleased—but identified some areas for improvement

In spring 2025, the Graduate School administered the gradSERU (Student Experiences in the Research University) survey. Results from that survey are now available.

The survey found that graduate students remain satisfied with the quality of their education at С�� Boulder, as well as the opportunities presented to them. Financial concerns related to housing and food security, however, were more pronounced compared to the survey’s last iteration in 2023.

GradSERU 2025: By the numbers

4,060 graduate students invited

1,387 responses received

34% response rate

March 11 – May 2, 2025 survey window

87% of students were satisfied or very satisfied with the quality of their graduate or professional program and reported that their program created a collegial and supportive environment.

37% of graduate students receiving financial support said their stipend sufficiently covered the cost of living in the Boulder (metropolitan) area.

72% of students indicated that they were interested in industry or for-profit sectors, compared to 68% for higher education institutions.

"Thank you to everyone who took the time to respond to the gradSERU survey last spring. We (the Graduate School) are working continuously with units around campus, including graduate programs, to improve the services and support provided to our students, and your feedback is critical to making that happen,” said Scott Adler, dean of the Graduate School and vice provost for graduate affairs. “Findings such as these help shape our priorities and initiatives in the Graduate School and the wider university for years to come.”

This biennial survey, which ran March 11 to May 2, 2025, was designed to examine students’ experiences across the entire spectrum of their graduate career, allowing С�� Boulder the opportunity to track changes in graduate programs and compare student experiences over time.

It was sent to all graduate students enrolled in the spring 2025 semester (with the exception of professional programs, MBA, Law or entirely online programs), totaling 4,060 students. Overall, 1,387 students responded, for a response rate of 34%.

The students were asked about many different aspects of their graduate experience at С�� Boulder, including finances, academics and advising, their experience with teaching and research, health and wellbeing and career plans. The data broke the students apart by categories such as citizenship status, race/ethnicity and gender, as well as their degree type and program.

The data showed that most students were satisfied with the quality of their graduate program, their opportunities for research and their access to quality advising, and would choose С�� Boulder again, if given the opportunity. Many students also reported a strong sense of belonging in their graduate program and that their program created a collegial and supportive environment, although there were concerns raised that the climate of the programs may not be as good for historically marginalized racial and ethnic groups as it was for other students.

Students also felt that their primary advisor was helpful in providing guidance for both academic and non-academic career options. The survey showed that both remain of interest to students after graduation, with nonacademic careers inching out academic careers by about four percentage points.

Given the university’s special interest in improving global education, the Graduate School was interested in the experience of international students. While this survey was conducted prior to many of the current shifts to the federal and higher education landscapes, it provided insight into the general experience for that group of students. What the survey found is that while international students were overall very satisfied with many facets of their education, they were concerned about managing their immigration status/visa, having adequate financial support, and maintaining good mental health.

Financial support was also a concern for domestic students, where only a little over one-third of graduate students receiving funding said their stipend sufficiently covered the cost of living in the Boulder area. Many also reported feeling insecure about having enough money for food or housing.

"The Graduate School is very aware of the precarious financial situation that some of our students are facing," said Adler. "While there are many efforts already underway, such as the efforts by the university to create housing plans for the Louisville U.S. 36/McCaslin property and С�� Boulder South, as well as the exploration of potential other graduate housing opportunities in the area near Main Campus to the north of Boulder Creek, addressing this concern remains a top priority for the Graduate School and many campus partners.”

Findings such as these help shape our priorities and initiatives for years to come.

One such partner, Student Life, also strives to keep Graduate Family Housing rates low and is evaluating opportunities to expand the number of housing options available.

Since receiving the 2023 gradSERU results, the Graduate School and partners on campus have implemented several changes including continued stipend increases, expanded health insurance benefits for spouses and dependents, targeted fee remissions, and the launch of the Futures Fellowship to support graduate student families.

Additionally, the Graduate School has expanded efforts to strengthen advising and mentoring through the Graduate Inclusive Mentoring Community and increased mentor training opportunities in partnership with the Center for Teaching and Learning. A new Alfred P. Sloan Foundation grant is assisting those efforts by supporting departments to strengthen their mentoring practices and in recruiting and retaining Sloan Scholars.

The gradSERU survey is administered every two years, with the first being in 2021. The next iteration will be in 2027. More information about the survey, including past years' data, is available on the gradSERU web page.

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Graduate student survey launches March 11

Cay Leytham-Powell — Wed, 05 Mar 2025 17:33:53 +0000

Graduate student survey launches March 11 Cay Leytham-Powell Wed, 03/05/2025 - 10:33

This survey, which was extended until May 2, is designed to better understand the current graduate student experience

How do you feel about your graduate student experience?

That’s the question that the Student Experience in the Research University (SERU) Graduate Student Survey, known as the gradSERU Survey, is seeking to understand when it launches next week.

Survey Details

Dates: March 11 - April 29 (extended to May 2)

Time: 20 mins

Search your email for "gradSERU" for your unique URL. All respondents will be entered to win one of 20 $100 Amazon gift cards.

The survey, which runs March 11 to April 29 (extended to May 2), is designed to examine students' experiences across the entire spectrum of their graduate career: academic, research, teaching, professional development, well-being and sense of community. A unique survey URL will be distributed over email to almost all non-professional graduate students—and those who respond will be automatically entered into a drawing with a chance to win one of 20 $100 gift cards.

Information gleaned from previous gradSERU surveys, administered in spring 2021 and 2023, helped facilitate stipend increases for graduate students, an expansion of embedded counselors in all schools and colleges across the university, and the hiring of a diversity, equity and inclusion faculty director within the Graduate School. Results from the survey also assisted in informing some of the Graduate School’s strategic plan goals.

The Graduate School is now interested in what has changed—and what has not—since the last iteration two years ago.

“Collecting this wide range of information from our graduate students helps us get a sense of how they are doing in a variety of different circumstances,” said Scott Adler, dean of the Graduate School. “Are we now doing better or worse? How do we compare to our peer institutions? Those are the types of questions that we look to answer with this survey.”

A link to the survey will be emailed on March 11 to graduate students within participating programs. In addition to the core questions that will be compared to other SERU institutions within the consortium, the survey will also include a small number of questions that are specific to С�� Boulder graduate students and programs.

Through its administration every other year, the gradSERU survey provides an ongoing way to track changes and improvements in academic programs and the utility of various support services for the Graduate School. Individual graduate programs can also use the results of the survey to better understand their own student satisfaction in a wide range of categories.

“We learned quite a bit of valuable information from the survey in 2021 and 2023 and we expect to learn even more as we track these items over time,” Adler added. “We want to know the accomplishments and triumphs, as well as the challenges and obstacles, that our graduate students are experiencing.”

This survey, which will run until April 22, is designed to better understand the current graduate student experience.

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2023 graduate student survey results now available

Cay Leytham-Powell — Tue, 21 May 2024 03:22:03 +0000

2023 graduate student survey results now available Cay Leytham-Powell Mon, 05/20/2024 - 21:22

The biennial gradSERU survey examines graduate students’ experiences across the entire spectrum of their graduate career and found students largely pleased—but identified some areas for improvement.

The 2023 gradSERU (Student Experiences in the Research University) survey results are now available.

The survey found that while students reported feeling a strong sense of belonging at С�� Boulder and are satisfied with the advising, education and research opportunities that they are receiving, there were still areas for improvement. These include compensation and general campus climate for students of color or those with disabilities.

Administered in spring 2023, this biennial survey was designed to examine students’ experiences across the entire spectrum of their graduate career. It was sent to all enrolled graduate and professional students (excluding business administration and law students), totaling 3,848 students. Overall, 36% of students responded—up from 28% in 2021.

"Thank you to everyone who responded to the gradSERU survey last spring. Your feedback is critical in allowing us to better understand the graduate student experience at С�� Boulder,” said E. Scott Adler, the dean of the Graduate School and vice provost for graduate affairs.

“We continuously work on the services and support that the university provides our graduate students, so it is imperative that we know more about who they are and their career goals. Findings such as these help to shape our priorities and initiatives in the Graduate School and the wider university."

Findings such as these help to shape our priorities and initiatives in the Graduate School and the wider university.

The gradSERU survey is administered every two years, with the first being in 2021 and the next in 2025. Since receiving the 2021 gradSERU results, the Graduate School has implemented several changes, including:

Student concerns regarding cost of living and compensation have resulted in continued stipend increases, expanded benefits and the remission of mandatory fees.
Physical and mental well-being concerns of our graduate students led to embedded counselors in all schools and colleges, including the Graduate School. With the demand for ongoing counseling services increasing, the insurance co-pay for community providers was eliminated in this year’s insurance plan.
Aware of the importance of the advising relationship to graduate student well-being, the Graduate School’s new advising and mentoring initiative consists of a working group of cross-campus collaborators tasked with identifying and promoting best practices in mentoring. The Graduate School was also recently named a Sloan Center for Systemic Change, which will provide funding to further develop its mentoring program for both faculty and students.
The Graduate School hired a diversity, equity and inclusion faculty director to coordinate, promote and assist those efforts both within the college and in the departmental programs. The Graduate School also welcomed the Colorado Diversity Initiative, formerly in the Office of Diversity, Equity and Community Engagement (ODECE), which strives to recruit and retain a dynamic community of students from diverse backgrounds.

The gradSERU survey provides С�� Boulder with various sources of information about students and programs, which is important to its ongoing planning and decision making. The Graduate School is committed to keeping the graduate student community informed of its progress as it works on crucial issues identified in the data.

A full breakdown of the data is available in the announcement sent earlier this year. More information is available on the gradSERU web page.

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2023 graduate student survey results now available

Cay Leytham-Powell — Tue, 12 Mar 2024 21:21:23 +0000

2023 graduate student survey results now available Cay Leytham-Powell Tue, 03/12/2024 - 15:21

The results from the 2023 gradSERU (Student Experiences in the Research University) survey are now available.

The survey found that while students reported feeling a strong sense of belonging here at С�� Boulder and are satisfied with the advising, education and research opportunities that they are receiving, there were still areas for improvement. These include compensation and general campus climate for students of color or those with disabilities.

Administered between March 13 and May 5, 2023, this biennial survey was designed to examine students’ experiences across the entire spectrum of their graduate career. It was sent to almost all non-professional graduate students enrolled in the spring 2023 semester, totaling 3,848 students. Overall, 1,395 students responded, for a response rate of 36%—up from 28% in 2021.

Findings such as these help to shape our priorities and initiatives in the Graduate School and the wider university.

Since receiving the 2021 gradSERU results, the Graduate School has implemented several changes, including:

Student concerns regarding cost of living and compensation have resulted in continued stipend increases, expanded benefits and the remission of mandatory fees.
Physical and mental well-being concerns of our graduate students led to embedded counselors in all schools and colleges, including the Graduate School. With the demand for ongoing counseling services increasing, the insurance co-pay for community providers was eliminated in this year’s insurance plan.
Aware of the importance of the advising relationship to graduate student well-being, the Graduate School’s new advising and mentoring initiative consists of a working group of cross-campus collaborators tasked with identifying and promoting best practices in mentoring. The Graduate School was also recently named a Sloan Center for Systemic Change, which will provide funding to further develop its mentoring program for both faculty and students.
The Graduate School hired a diversity, equity and inclusion faculty director to coordinate, promote and assist those efforts both within the college and in the departmental programs. The Graduate School also welcomed the Colorado Diversity Initiative, formerly in the Office of Diversity, Equity and Community Engagement (ODECE), which strives to recruit and retain a dynamic community of students from diverse backgrounds.

The gradSERU survey is administered every two years, with the first being in 2021 and the next in 2025. These surveys provide С�� Boulder with the opportunity to track changes in graduate programs and compare student experiences over time.

Below are some of the important findings of the 2023 survey.

Financial

Sixty-eight percent of graduate students receiving funding were satisfied or very satisfied with the financial support from all sources.
Only about one-third of graduate students receiving financial support said their stipend sufficiently covered the cost of living in the Boulder area.
More than half of respondents (54%) reported feeling worried they would not have enough money to cover the cost of housing, and more than one-quarter (28%) reported that they were worried that food would run out before they had money to buy more.

Academics and advising

Overall, 89% of respondents indicated that their advisor was able to effectively help them. Eighty-six percent said they would choose their advisor again, and 84% said they would choose С�� Boulder again.
Most respondents were satisfied with their opportunities for research (90%), the quality of their graduate or professional program (85%), and access to quality advising (84%).
Most graduate students still reported that they were treated fairly by faculty members in their program (91%).

Teaching and research experience

Graduate students involved in research reported high ratings for feeling competent conducting research within their fields. More than 85% of respondents said they felt competent following best practices of integrity and reproducibility in scientific research, critically evaluating existing literature and data, and applying research methods.
Many respondents reported that they are satisfied or very satisfied with their ability to conduct their own research independently (77%). Students also reported feeling satisfied with assisting faculty in research (63%) and collaborating with other researchers or students (63%).
Almost 75% of students reported having had some sort of teaching duty. While only 42% of students reported having training for their teaching duties, 75% of those that did were satisfied with that training.
The vast majority said teaching enhanced their academic experience and was helpful with respect to their professional development.

Health and well-being

When asked about obstacles toward degree progress, the most frequently chosen response from graduate students (38%) was “course load,” which differs from 2021 where “emotional health problems” were the greatest obstacle. “Mental health problems” was the second most frequent factor (35%).
Many students have a strong sense of belonging in their graduate or professional program. In 2023, 84% of respondents said they agreed or strongly agreed that they belonged in their program, and 85% said their program created a collegial and supportive environment.
When asked about their awareness of mental health and wellness services, many students (93%) responded that they were aware of Counseling and Psychiatric Services (CAPS). Of the respondents who said they were aware and used CAPS, 63% said that the availability of appointments was sufficient to meet their needs.

Career plans

Graduate students’ interest in non-academic careers has continued to grow. Respondents indicated that the careers they were most interested in were industry or for-profit sectors (74%), higher education institutions (63%) and government, non-educational institutions (55%).
Seventy-seven percent of respondents said their primary advisor was helpful in providing guidance in academic career options and 61% said they were helpful in nonacademic career options.
While only 38% felt that their program communicated post completion non-academic career options, 72% felt that their department was supportive of them exploring non-academic careers.

Equity and diversity

In this area of the survey, students were asked comparative questions regarding whether the climate for various identity groups is "at least as good as" the climate for other identity groups.

Seventy-six percent of respondents indicated the climate for females was at least as good as for males, while 96% of respondents indicated the climate for males was at least as good as it was for females.
Seventy-six percent of LGBTQIA+ respondents rated that they were experiencing the same climate as that of heterosexual students. On the other hand, 85% of all graduate students indicated that the climate for LGBTQIA+ students was as good as it was for heterosexual students.
Fifty-eight percent of respondents who identify as having a disability indicated that the climate was the same as students without disabilities, while 69% of respondents without disabilities indicated it was at least as good.
Fifty-four percent of students of color felt that the climate was the same for them as other groups. Alternatively, 66% of all graduate students agreed the climate in their programs for students in historically marginalized race and ethnicity groups was at least as good as it was for other students.

The Graduate School sees the various sources of information about students and programs as critical to its ongoing planning and decision making and is committed to keeping the graduate student community informed of its progress as it works on crucial issues identified in the data. More information is available on the gradSERU web page.

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Graduate student survey launches March 13

Cay Leytham-Powell — Thu, 09 Mar 2023 02:31:45 +0000

Graduate student survey launches March 13 Cay Leytham-Powell Wed, 03/08/2023 - 19:31

This survey, which will run until April 24, is designed to better understand the current graduate student experience

How do you feel about your graduate student experience?

That’s the question that the Student Experience in the Research University (SERU) Graduate Student Survey, known as the gradSERU Survey, is seeking to understand when it launches next week.

Survey details:

Dates: March 13 - April 24

Time: 20 mins

Search your email for "gradSERU" for your unique URL. All respondents will be entered to win one of ten $100 Amazon gift cards.

Learn more

The survey, which runs March 13 to April 24, is designed to examine students' experiences across the entire spectrum of their graduate career: academic, research, teaching, professional development, well-being and sense of community. A unique survey URL will be distributed over email to almost all non-professional graduate students—and those who respond will be automatically entered into a drawing with a chance to win one of ten $100 Amazon gift cards.

Information gleaned from the previous gradSERU survey, administered in spring 2021, helped facilitate stipend increases for graduate students, an expansion of embedded counselors in all schools and colleges across the university, and the hiring of a diversity, equity and inclusion faculty director within the Graduate School. Results from the survey also assisted in informing some of the Graduate School’s strategic plan goals.

The Graduate School is now interested in what has changed—and what has not—in the last two years.

A link to the survey will be emailed on March 13 to graduate students within participating programs. In addition to the core questions that will be compared to other SERU institutions within the consortium, the survey will also include a small number of questions that are specific to С�� Boulder graduate students and programs.

“We learned quite a bit of valuable information from the survey in 2021 and we expect to learn even more as we track these items over time,” Adler added. “We want to know the accomplishments and triumphs, as well as the challenges and obstacles, that our graduate students are experiencing.”

This survey, which will run until April 24, is designed to better understand the current graduate student experience.

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Graduate students provide feedback through SERU survey

Cay Leytham-Powell — Sat, 05 Feb 2022 02:28:36 +0000

Graduate students provide feedback through SERU survey Cay Leytham-Powell Fri, 02/04/2022 - 19:28

The Graduate School is pleased to release the results of its first full Student Experience in the Research University (SERU) Graduate Student Survey, known as the gradSERU Survey.

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Look for the graduate student survey in your inbox March 30

Cay Leytham-Powell — Mon, 29 Mar 2021 21:38:30 +0000

Look for the graduate student survey in your inbox March 30 Cay Leytham-Powell Mon, 03/29/2021 - 15:38

The Graduate School will launch the gradSERU survey on March 30 for all graduate and professional students (excluding MBA and Colorado Law) enrolled in spring 2021.

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Graduate School joins SERU Consortium to standardize information gathering

Cay Leytham-Powell — Mon, 09 Mar 2020 15:12:38 +0000

Graduate School joins SERU Consortium to standardize information gathering Cay Leytham-Powell Mon, 03/09/2020 - 09:12

The Graduate School is developing a comprehensive new data strategy designed to promote and enhance evidence-based decision making and provide insights for program development and innovation.

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