A new report was recently released by the U.S. department of education; prepared by the National Center for Education Statistics. The report draws on data from the 2007-08 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study and takes a look at the enrolment characteristics of graduate and first-professional students, when they started their programs, how they combined school and work; the costs of attending, and the sources used to pay for their education, including amounts provided. Highlighted key findings from the report include the following:
* About 65% of all graduate/first-professional students were enrolled in master’s degree programs (31% in education). 15% were enrolled in doctoral programs (60% in a PhD program); 9% were in first-professional programs (51% were in law).
* Students in MBA programs and master’s or doctoral programs in education were more likely to have delayed enrolment in graduate education after completing their undergraduate degrees, to work full time, and to be enrolled part time, compared to medical, health science and law students who tended to be enrolled full time and within two years of earning a Bachelor’s degree, and not work full time,
* Average total costs of full time, full year attendance ranged from $28,400 for a Master’s degree program at a public institution to $52,500 for a first-professional program at a private non-profit institution.
* 91% of doctoral students received some type of financial aid. Doctoral students (except for those in education) were most likely to receive grants and the least likely to take out loans; borrowing was more common amongst first-professional students than master’s or doctoral students. Education doctoral students received financial aid less commonly than other doctoral students; relied solely on loans more commonly than Ph.D. students in other fields.
The full report can be found here:
