2025年研究生招生报告

Looking at graduate studentbehavior by primary motivation Contents Introduction........................................................................................................................................3Recommended Actions and Initiatives...................................................................................3Report Organization and Survey Participation....................................................................5The Continued Growth of the Graduate Market.....................................................................6Four Key Challenges for Graduate Enrollment.....................................................................7Today’s Graduate Students...........................................................................................................11Five Graduate Market Takeaways............................................................................................14Student Motivations, Influences, and Concerns....................................................................15Seven Takeaways About Student Motivations and Concerns.........................................17Search and Research......................................................................................................................18Nine Search and Research Takeaways..................................................................................23Recruitment and Cultivation......................................................................................................24Nine Recruitment and Cultivation Take Aways...................................................................31Making Enrollment Decisions.....................................................................................................32Eight Enrollment Decision Takeaways..................................................................................35 Introduction The2025 Graduate Student Recruitment Reportis RNL’s third national study of the expectationsand preferences of America’s graduate students. This report provides graduate program leaders andstakeholders with detailed insights into the motivations, expectations, and behaviors of prospectivegraduate students during the enrollment process. These insights can drive strategies that will helpinstitutions position their programs more competitively, move graduate students through theenrollment process more quickly, and ultimately drive enrollment growth. Anticipated demographic shifts in the American populace and a fluid regulatory environment arecreating unparalleled levels of uncertainty. At the same time, the expectations and decision-makingpriorities of today’s graduate students have changed dramatically as Millennials and increasing numbersof Gen Z students dominate the graduate education market. This is further complicated by graduatestudents having more programs and modalities to choose from than ever before. For decades, students have seen graduate study as a route to career advancement or change, but theincoming generation is even more focused on their career success as the ultimate indicator of the ROIof their studies. With this in mind, we present the data throughout this report by primary motivation:career advancement, career change, and personal reasons/lifelong learning. A fourth motivation—maintaining current careers—did not have sufficient responses to be included in the report, an indicatorthat, for graduate students, it really is about opportunity for advancement or change. Recommended Actions and Initiatives 1.Career outcomes are the foundation of program value. Three-quarters (74%) of graduate students identify career advancement as their primary motivation for enrollment,and over 90% indicate that easy access to career-related information on program pages is essential to theirdecision-making process. Recommendation:Institutions should prominently feature current, verifiable career outcomes—such as jobplacement rates, average starting salaries, and employer partnerships—on all recruitment materials and programwebpages. This includes creating dedicated sections or dashboards that detail recent alumni trajectories, industrycertifications obtained, and relevant labor market statistics. By showcasing concrete career pathways, institutionswill align program value with student expectations and strengthen recruitment for career-focused students. 2.Flexible delivery models are a non-negotiable requirement. Nearly half of future graduate students surveyed plan to enroll in hybrid (online + in-person formats) and nearly40% plan to choose fully online study. Only 10-15% of graduate students now enroll in programs that are exclusivelyoffered in the classroom. When considering full academic year enrollment, fully online headcount now exceeds fullyin-person enrollment by more than 200,000 students. Recommendation:To support enrollment growth, institutions should ensure high-demand graduate programs areavailable in fully online