Graduate School Recruitment Survey (1996)

Abstract

Since 1991, all newly enrolling graduate students have been invited to complete a simple questionnaire indicating what factors they considered significant in their decision to come to the ANU to do graduate study. The purpose is to obtain a continuous evaluation of various recruiting procedures. It is recognised that a survey of this type has limitations. For example, it gives no indication of why students choose not to come to the ANU. However, it does indicate the factors that were influential for students who did come. Results obtained for 1992 and 1993 were presented in Graduate School Occasional Paper 94/3. The present report gives results for 1996. The questionnaire used in 1996 is reproduced in Figure 1. Responses were received from 791 students (21 Graduate Certificate, 247 Graduate Diploma, 161 Master (coursework), 32 Master (Research) and 307 PhD). Of these, 278 were from international ("overseas") students, ie 35%, as compared to international student enrolments at about 27% of all students. The results, itemised for Australian/International and male/female, are presented in Tables 1-6. In Table 7 the results are shown as percentages for selected factors. Overall, the results are broadly similar to those of previous years.