Summary Tables
Summary Tables of Results (.pdf file)
Frequencies
Overall
By
gender
By
race
By
number of semesters in graduate school
Comparison
of health insurance questions between
students who received a subsidy and those who did not
Text Comments
Text
Comments (.pdf file)
Other
Responses (.pdf file)
Reports
(stored in IAS Reports)
Executive
Summary (.pdf file)
Full
Report
(.pdf file)
Methodology
The
main study population for this survey was all graduate students
at the University of Virginia in the 2003-04 academic year. A
total of 1969 graduate students were selected according to a stratified
random sampling procedure to ensure a sufficient number of respondents
from each of the graduate schools1.
In addition, women in the engineering school were oversampled.
The complete sample was composed of:
•
All 100 students from the School of Architecture;
• A sample of 157 students from the Graduate School of Business
(Darden);
• A sample of 577 students from the Graduate School of Arts
and Sciences, including 219 students from humanities, 165 students
from the hard sciences, and 193 from the social sciences;
• A sample of 217 students from the Curry School of Education;
• A sample of 329 students from the School of Engineering
and Applied Science, including all 120 women and a sample of 209
men;
• A sample of 165 students from the School of Law;
• A sample of 201 students from the School of Medicine;
• All 86 students from the School of Nursing;
• A sample of 137 students from the Basic Medical Sciences;
• 370 students in the sample were international students.
Additionally,
the survey attempted to reach individuals who were enrolled in
2003-2004 but did not graduate or re-enroll in 2004-05. Classified
as apparent dropouts, these 137 respondents would have received
an abbreviated version of the current graduate student survey.
The goal was to discern the cause of their decision not to re-enroll.
However, only 25 of these individuals responded for a response
rate of 18%. Though the results are reported, they must be viewed
with caution, as the sampling error for a 95% confidence level
is 18%.
All respondents were sent personalized letters, signed by Graduate
Student Council President Thomas C. Bryan and Associate Vice President
for Research and Graduate Studies Roseanne Ford, on October 15,
2004 informing them of the importance and general purposes of
the survey, assuring them of confidentiality, and inviting them
to participate. The survey was conducted entirely over the web.
Respondents were tracked via an alphanumeric randomized respondent
key, and four email reminders were sent to those students who
had not responded, beginning on October 28 and ending on November
18, 2004. Two postcard reminders were sent to those no longer
enrolled, who were off-Grounds and without email accounts at the
University. Four lotteries were conducted as incentives for respondents.
A total of 70 prizes were awarded—10 $50 and 60 $25 gift
certificates to the UVa Bookstore.
When the field period
ended on December 1, 2004, 1,523 enrolled graduate students had
responded, for a response rate of 77%. At a 95% confidence level,
the overall sampling error for the survey was 2%. Click here
for a chart indicating the number of responses, the response rates,
and the sampling errors for each school and subgroup within the
survey.
Questions regarding the administration of the survey, the questionnaire,
or the results can be directed to Jonathan Schnyer, Assessment
Coordinator and Assistant Director, Office of Institutional Assessment
and Studies, P.O. Box 400427, Charlottesville, VA 22904-4727 [telephone:
(434) 924-3417 or e-mail: schnyer@virginia.edu].
