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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 CU 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 CU 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."

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 CU 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.��