2021 Niche Grad Searcher Survey

There were 5,834 completed and qualified responses collected from 9,491 total responses between May 25, 2021 and June 30, 2021. The survey was sent to registered graduate program searching users on Niche and posted to the site during this period. Gender offered more options than the Council of Graduate Schools benchmarking, but comparisons are offered where available:

Female – 64% (CGS 58%)
Male – 27% (CGS 42%)
Gender Nonbinary – 2%
Other – 1%
Chose not to respond – 7%

Our respondents also were more diverse than present in the CGS benchmarking as well. Again, there were more race and ethnicity options provided in our survey, using recommendations detailed by the Southeast Asia Resource Action Center “Everyone Deserves to Be Seen” policy brief, among other resources.

African American or Black – 19% (CGS 12%)
American Indian or Alaska Native – 1% (CGS <1%)
Bangladeshi – 1%
Chinese – 2%
Filipino – 1%
Indian – 7%
Korean – 1%
Nepalese – 1%
Pakistani – 1%
Vietnamese – 1%
Other Asian ethnicities – 2% (CGS Asian 8%)
Caucasian or White – 30% (CGS 59%)
Hispanic or Latinx – 11% (CGS 12%)
Middle Eastern or North African – 2%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander – <1% (CGS <1%)
Multiracial – 9% (CGS 3%)
I do not know – 3% (CGS 5%)
Chose not to respond – 7%

Most of the prospective students who responded were not first-generation college students. There were 31% who were the first in their family to attend college, 37% with a 2 or 4-year degree, 18% with a Master’s degree, and 7% with a doctoral or professional degree earned by their parents.

Breakdown of responses by broad field of study:

Healthcare – 24%
Social Sciences – 14%
Education – 9%
Business (non MBA) – 8%
Other – 8%
Engineering – 8%
MBA – 7%
Computer Science – 7%
Natural Sciences – 6%
Law – 5%
Fine or Performing Arts – 5%

General Recruitment Insights

As online coursework for graduate students becomes more normalized every year, we wanted to gauge whether there was a preference for online programs offered through institutions that were fully online or had a physical campus. One-quarter of prospective students said that it did not matter to them, but for those with a preference 77% wanted a program offered through a terrestrial university. Online programs through online-only universities were most accepted/preferred by students pursuing an education program (37%), MBA (30%), and non-MBA business programs (27%).

Only 18% of students reported wanting to enroll full-time. About half want to work part-time while taking their courses and 30% say they will continue working full-time. Men were significantly less likely to report that they plan to work full-time, as were every Asian ethnic group and Middle Eastern or North African students. Native students and White students were the most likely to report that they will be working full-time while enrolling.

Prospective students were evenly split in their interest in recruitment event formats, 56% were interested in attending an in-person event and 55% were interested in attending a virtual event. Events that are 30-60 minutes in length are preferred by the majority of students, but outside of that, they are more interested in 60-90 minute events (21%) than short events under 30 minutes (17%). If a graduate recruiting event is going to be over 90 minutes only 6% of students say that they would be interested.

Financial aid and program costs were important across the board, so we also asked about how students plan to finance their education. Korean (74%) and White (63%) students were the most likely to say they were taking on loans.

Scholarships – 70%
Loans – 53%
Out-of-Pocket – 45%
Assistantship/Research Grant – 35%
Company Offers Tuition Assistance – 16%
529 Plan – 4%
Have not decided – 12%

MBA Programs

MBA Program Results - Niche 2021 Grad Searcher Survey

Just over 45% of prospective students looking for an MBA program in May and June were planning to enroll before the end of the year with another 18% undecided on when they wanted to start. They were slightly less likely than their peers who were looking at other business programs to want to enroll this year, meaning they might have a longer enrollment cycle. Pursuing an MBA, for 35% of them, was a consideration only after graduating from undergraduate. It’s interesting to note, however, that 34% started researching MBA programs either before they started their undergraduate education or during their first two years. Prospective students seem to be casting a more narrow net once they decide where to apply. One-third are applying to only one program and another quarter are applying to two.

The most common reasons that potential MBA students gave for wanting to earn their degree were career advancement (82%), personal growth (67%), and more opportunities for advancement (64%). Very few searchers are pursuing their MBA because of layoffs during the pandemic. Prospective students used a variety of tools to discover new programs they had been unaware of. More than two-thirds used search engines, grad school search platforms such as Niche, and word of mouth. Half of the prospective students also attribute online ads to their discovery of new programs. All of these can be included in a marketing strategy for a graduate program.

Choosing an MBA Program

Program cost and scholarships were the most important considerations when choosing an MBA program. Only 2% of respondents rated the price as unimportant or not at all important. While many MBA programs tout their ranking in marketing materials, the ranking was the ninth most important consideration. Most of the respondents did say that they were planning to move to pursue their program; most frequently to move to a location with a lower cost of living (57%) or because the program they are pursuing is only offered in-person (29%).

Recruiting Communications for MBA Programs

The respondents wanted more than just program information — 76% want general campus information and 70% want information about the surrounding city/community as well. The only information they care more about is financial aid (77%). Application requirements and deadlines are also important, but less so than location and financial aid information. Surprisingly, admissions staff were the fourth most popular choice when asked who they want to hear from during the search and recruitment process. Financial aid staff, current students, and faculty topped the list. Just over one-third of students say that they want to be contacted with information weekly while 14% say they only want to reach out and not to be contacted. Email was the only contact method that the majority of students wanted, and two-thirds want to be contacted in the afternoon or evening.

Business, Non-MBA Programs

Business Program Results - Niche 2021 Grad Searcher Survey

Half of the respondents planning to pursue a non-MBA business program plan to enroll before the end of the year. Another 20% plan to enroll in 2022. Unlike their peers pursuing an MBA, 35% started researching their graduate school options before enrolling in undergrad and 44% started actively researching while enrolled as an undergraduate. These are students who know they want a graduate degree well before graduation. Just over half are planning to earn a Master’s, 10% a doctoral degree, and 37% want to earn a graduate certificate rather than a degree. Like their MBA-seeking peers, they seem to be narrowly focused when it comes to applying — 37% plan to apply to one program and 25% to two.

Three reasons stood out for why prospective students are planning to pursue their graduate program: Career advancement (74%), personal growth (70%), and opportunities for future advancement (63%). Prospective students used a variety of tools to discover new programs they had been unaware of. More than two-thirds used search engines, grad school search platforms such as Niche, and word of mouth. Half of the prospective students also attribute online ads to their discovery of new programs. All of these can be included in a marketing strategy for a graduate program.

Choosing a Non-MBA Business Program

Program cost and scholarships were the most important considerations when choosing a business program. Only 1% rated the price or scholarship as unimportant. The reputation of the university as a whole was more important than the individual program, but only just barely. Other high-priority considerations were the format of the program (online, in-person, or hybrid) and the length of the program.

Recruiting Communications for Non-MBA Business Programs

More than just program information, an overwhelming 79% of respondents say that they want information about the university as a whole and 74% want to know about the community that the institution is located in. This was still the fourth most important piece of information that students want. Financial aid (84%), application requirements (80%), and application deadlines (79%) all just edged out non-programmatic information. Faculty news and research updates were the least interesting to prospective students. Financial aid staff are the most important messengers, followed by faculty, and current students before admission staff. Less than 5% of prospective students want to be contacted by mail, phone, text, or video; it was email or no contact at all for these students. Over 40% say that they want weekly contact and 12% say they don’t want to be contacted at all.

Computer Science Programs

Computer Science Program Results - 2021 Niche Grad Searcher Survey

Prospective computer science students, including software engineering, who were actively researching programs in May and June are primarily looking for Master’s level programs. Only 7% are pursuing doctoral programs, 57% are looking for Master’s, and 36% want a certificate program. A quarter of students plan to start their program in 2022 and 44% want to start before the end of 2021. One-third of respondents started researching before starting their undergraduate education and 45% did during their undergraduate education. Starting recruiting and awareness early can be key to building a class.

Career advancement (76%), personal growth (70%), and opportunities for future advancement (65%) were the most common reasons given for pursuing a graduate degree. While the numbers were very low, it’s interesting that a couple of respondents noted that they were pursuing a computer science program for extra retirement income. Retirees seeking to learn software engineering are likely a small, but untapped growth market.

Prospective students used a variety of tools to discover new programs they had been unaware of. More than two-thirds used search engines and grad school search platforms such as Niche for discovery and research. Half of the prospective students also attribute online ads to their discovery of new programs. Undergraduate faculty and word-of-mouth were also popular; a quarter of students said they primarily used each of these for discovery. All of these can be included in a marketing strategy for a graduate program.

Choosing a Computer Science Program

Program cost and scholarships were the most important considerations when choosing a computer science program. Only 1% rated the price as unimportant and 2% rated scholarships as unimportant. Faculty qualifications and reputation were also important to prospective students. The reputation of both the program and university were important, but the reputation of the program itself was slightly more important than the university.

Recruiting Communications for Computer Science Programs

More than 80% of respondents want to hear about financial aid, application requirements, and deadlines. These students want to know more about your institution and community as well; 84% want general information about the university and 78% want to know about the town or community you’re located in. Financial aid staff are the most important messengers, followed by faculty, and current students before admission staff. Less than 5% of prospective students want to be contacted by mail, phone, text, or video; it was email or no contact at all for these students. Over 40% say that they want weekly contact and 10% say they don’t want to be contacted at all.

Education Programs

Education Program Results - Niche 2021 Grad Searcher Survey

Two-thirds of prospective education students plan to pursue a Master’s degree, with the rest evenly split between doctoral and certificate programs with 17% apiece. Half want to start their program before the end of 2021 and 19% want to enroll in 2022, so these are students who are making faster decisions. When it came to starting their search, 42% started while enrolled as undergraduates but 40% didn’t decide to pursue a graduate degree until after they had graduated with their Bachelor’s degree. Only 8% of respondents say they plan to enroll full-time and not work. Career advancement (71%), personal growth (65%), and opportunities for future advancement (58%) were the most common reasons given for pursuing a graduate degree. Just over one-quarter also are pursuing a program because it’s required for their desired career.

Prospective students used a variety of tools to discover new programs they had been unaware of. More than two-thirds used search engines, grad school search platforms such as Niche, and word-of-mouth for discovery and research. Additionally, 61% rely on their undergraduate faculty for program discovery. This is interesting because only 39% turn to their Career Services office.

Choosing an Education Program

Program cost and scholarships were the most important considerations when choosing an education program. Only 1% rated the price or scholarship as unimportant. The length of time to complete the program and format (online, in-person, or hybrid) were also very important to students. The reputations of both the program and university were important, but the reputation of the program itself was slightly more important than the university.

Recruiting Communications for Education Programs

More than 75% of respondents want to hear about financial aid, this is again a major concern for them. Over half of respondents want to learn about application requirements, deadlines, and new programs or specializations related to their interests as well. Prospective students want to know more about your institution and community as well; 69% want general information about the university and 65% want to know about the town or community you’re located in. Financial aid staff are the most important messengers, followed by faculty, and current students before admission staff. Less than 5% of prospective students want to be contacted by mail, phone, text, or video; it was email or no contact at all for these students. Only 29% say that they want weekly contact and 12% say they don’t want to be contacted at all. Monthly contacts were more popular, but 19% of students say that they only want to reach out for information and do not want unsolicited contact.

Engineering Programs

Engineering Program Results - Niche 2021 Grad School Survey

Prospective engineering students who were actively researching programs in May and June are primarily looking for Master’s level programs. Only 12% are pursuing doctoral programs, 61% are looking for Master’s, and 28% want a certificate program. Forty-four percent of respondents plan to start a program this year and half that plan to start in 2022. Just over half of prospective students started actively researching programs while enrolled in undergraduate programs and 19% after graduating. A surprising 28% started their research before enrolling in undergraduate education even. Career advancement (76%), personal growth (68%), and opportunities for future advancement (63%) were the most common reasons given for pursuing a graduate degree.

Prospective students used a variety of tools to discover new programs they had been unaware of. More than two-thirds used search engines and grad school search platforms such as Niche for discovery and research. Undergraduate faculty and word-of-mouth were also popular. Recruiting fairs and online ads were reported as the least effective for these students. For other graduate programs, digital advertising proved more effective at discovery, perhaps they are better used for nurturing known engineering students. All of these can be included in a marketing strategy for a graduate program.

Choosing an Engineering Program

Contrary to other programs, scholarships were the most important consideration for choosing programs, rather than the cost of the program. The cost was still the second most important, followed by faculty qualifications, the reputation of the program, and the overall reputation of the university.

Recruiting Communications for Engineering Programs

More than 80% of respondents want to hear about financial aid, application requirements, and deadlines. These students want to know more about your institution and community as well; 87% want general information about the university and 82% want to know about the town or community you’re located in. Financial aid staff are the most important messengers, followed by current students, and then faculty before admission staff. Less than 5% of prospective students want to be contacted by mail, phone, text, or video; it was email or no contact at all for these students. Over 49% say that they want weekly contact and only 6% say they don’t want to be contacted at all. Prospective engineering students want more regular contact than their peers, so be sure to provide regular relevant information for them.

Fine or Performing Arts Programs

Fine and Performing Arts Results - Niche 2021 Grad School Survey

Prospective fine or performing arts students who were actively researching programs in May and June are primarily looking for Master’s level programs. Only 7% are pursuing doctoral programs, 65% are looking for Master’s, and 28% want a certificate program. Less than half (43%) of respondents plan to start a program in 2021 and 19% are planning to start in 2022. There is a longer search cycle for fine or performing arts students than other programs of interest. This is backed up by responses as to when they actively started researching programs. A quarter started searching before enrolling in undergraduate programs, 51% during their enrollment, and 23% after graduation. Personal growth (79%), career advancement (76%), and opportunities for future advancement (66%) were the most common reasons given for pursuing a graduate degree.

Prospective students used a variety of tools to discover new programs they had been unaware of. More than two-thirds used search engines and grad school search platforms such as Niche for discovery and research. Undergraduate faculty and word-of-mouth were also popular. Recruiting fairs and online ads were reported as the least effective for these students. For other graduate programs, digital advertising proved more effective at discovery, perhaps they are better used for nurturing known engineering students. All of these can be included in a marketing strategy for a graduate program.

Choosing a Fine or Performing Arts Program

Program cost and scholarships were the most important considerations when choosing an education program. No students rated the price or scholarship as unimportant. The faculty qualifications, format (online, in-person, or hybrid), and reputation of the university were also very important to students.

Recruiting Communications for Fine or Performing Arts Programs

More than 75% of respondents want to hear about financial aid and application requirements. Prospective students were least interested in faculty news, research updates, and regular check-ins from admissions. These students want to know more about your institution and community as well; 79% want general information about the university and 76% want to know about the town or community you’re located in. Financial aid staff are the most important messengers, followed by current students, and then faculty before admission staff. Less than 5% of prospective students want to be contacted by mail, phone, text, or video; it was email or no contact at all for these students. Only one-third say that they want weekly contact and 12% say they don’t want to be contacted at all. For those that do want to be contacted, 14% say that they only want to initiate the contact.

Healthcare Programs

Healthcare Results - Niche 2021 Grad Searcher Survey

Prospective healthcare program students who were actively researching programs in May and June are primarily looking for doctoral or professional programs. Only 19% are pursuing a graduate certificate and 38% want a Master’s degree. Less than half (39%) of respondents plan to start a program in 2021 and 20% are planning to start in 2022. These programs need a longer cycle to nurture students than others. This is backed up by responses as to when they actively started researching programs. There were 39% of students who started actively researching graduate programs before enrolling in undergraduate, 45% during undergrad, and most commonly in their first two years of undergrad. The majority of prospective students say they are pursuing a degree because it’s required for their preferred career, but the most common responses were for career advancement and personal growth.

Prospective students used a variety of tools to discover new programs they had been unaware of. More than two-thirds used search engines, grad school search platforms such as Niche, and word-of-mouth for discovery and research. All of these can be included in a marketing strategy for a graduate program.

Choosing a Healthcare Program

Program cost and scholarships were the most important considerations when choosing a healthcare graduate program. No students rated the price as unimportant. Program reputation, faculty qualifications, the reputation of the university, format (online, in-person, or hybrid), program length, and acceptance requirements are all factors that are important to more than 80% of prospective students.

Recruiting Communications for Healthcare Programs

More than 75% of respondents want to hear about financial aid, application requirements, and application deadlines. These students want to know more about your institution and community as well; 80% want general information about the university and 72% want to know about the town or community you’re located in. Financial aid staff are the most important messengers, followed by current students, and then faculty before admission staff. Less than 6% of prospective students want to be contacted by mail, phone, text, or video; it was email or no contact at all for these students. Only one-third say that they want weekly contact and 9% say they don’t want to be contacted at all. For those that do want to be contacted, 14% say that they only want to initiate the contact.

Law Programs

Law Program Results - Niche 2021 Grad Searcher Survey

Prospective law students who were actively researching programs in May and June are primarily looking for doctoral or professional programs. Only 13% are pursuing a graduate certificate and 31% want a Master’s degree. Less than half (40%) of respondents plan to start a program in 2021 and 21% are planning to start in 2022. These programs need a longer cycle to nurture students than others. This is backed up by responses as to when they actively started researching programs. There were 30% of students who started actively researching graduate programs before enrolling in undergraduate, 53% during undergrad, and most commonly in their first two years of undergrad. The majority of prospective students say they are pursuing a degree because it’s required for their preferred career, but the most common responses were for career advancement and for their personal growth.

Prospective students used a variety of tools to discover new programs they had been unaware of. More than two-thirds used search engines, grad school search platforms such as Niche, and word-of-mouth for discovery and research. The majority of students also utilized their undergraduate faculty for discovering new programs. All of these can be included in a marketing strategy for a graduate program.

Choosing a Law Program

Scholarships and program costs were the most important considerations when choosing a law program. Most programs reversed these and placed more emphasis on costs over scholarships. Only 1% of students rated each of these as unimportant. Reputation of the university, reputation of the program, faculty qualifications, and format (online, in-person, or hybrid) are all factors that are important to more than 80% of prospective students.

Recruiting Communications for Law Programs

More than 75% of respondents want to hear about financial aid, application requirements, and application deadlines. These students want to know more about your institution and community as well; 85% want general information about the university and 79% want to know about the town or community you’re located in. Financial aid staff are the most important messengers, followed by current students, and then faculty before admission staff. Less than 5% of prospective students want to be contacted by mail, phone, text, or video; it was email or no contact at all for these students. Just over one-third (38%) say that they want weekly contact and 9% say they don’t want to be contacted at all. For those that do want to be contacted, 12% say that they only want to initiate the contact.

Natural Sciences Programs

Natural Science Programs - Niche 2021 Grad Searcher Survey

Prospective graduate students in the natural sciences who were actively researching programs in May and June are primarily looking for Master’s programs. Only 20% are pursuing a graduate certificate and 28% want a doctoral or professional degree. One-third of respondents plan to start a program in 2021 and 28% are planning to start in 2022. There were 22% of students who started actively researching graduate programs before enrolling in undergraduate, 59% during undergrad, and most commonly in their final year of undergrad. The majority of prospective students say they are pursuing a degree because of research interests, but the most common responses were for personal growth, career advancements, and more opportunities for future advancement.

Prospective students used a variety of tools to discover new programs they had been unaware of. More than 80% used search engines and grad school search platforms such as Niche for research. The majority of students also utilized their undergraduate faculty and word-of-mouth for discovering new programs. Recruiting fairs and events were the least useful for natural science prospective students. All of these can be included in a marketing strategy for a graduate program.

Choosing a Natural Sciences Program

Scholarships and program costs were the most important considerations when choosing a law program. Most programs reversed these and placed more emphasis on costs over scholarships. Faculty qualifications, reputations of the program, format (online, in-person, or hybrid), undergraduate faculty opinions, program length, and reputation of the university are all factors that are important to more than 80% of prospective students.

Recruiting Communications for Natural Sciences Programs

More than 75% of respondents want to hear about financial aid, application requirements, and application deadlines. These students want to know more about your institution and community as well; 81% want general information about the university and 77% want to know about the town or community you’re located in. Financial aid staff are the most important messengers, followed by faculty, and then current students before admission staff. Less than 5% of prospective students want to be contacted by mail, phone, text, or video; it was email or no contact at all for these students. Nearly half (42%) say that they want weekly contact and 13% say they don’t want to be contacted at all. For those that do want to be contacted, 8% say that they only want to initiate the contact.

Social Sciences Programs

Social Science Program Results - Niche 2021 Grad Searcher Survey

Prospective graduate students in the social sciences who were actively researching programs in May and June are primarily looking for Master’s programs. Only 10% are pursuing a graduate certificate and 17% want a doctoral or professional degree. Almost half (46%) of respondents plan to start a program in 2021 and 23% are planning to start in 2022. There were 28% of prospective students who started actively researching graduate programs after graduating, 57% during undergrad, and most commonly in their second to last year of undergrad. The most common reason for applying to graduate programs was for career advancement, followed by personal growth, and more opportunities for future advancement.

Prospective students used a variety of tools to discover new programs they had been unaware of. More than 75% used search engines and grad school search platforms such as Niche for research. The majority of students also utilized word-of-mouth and their undergraduate faculty for discovering new programs. All of these can be included in a marketing strategy for a graduate program.

Choosing a Social Sciences Program

Program cost and scholarships were the most important considerations when choosing a law program. Program format (online, in-person, or hybrid), faculty qualifications, program length, reputations of the university, and reputation of the program are all factors that are important to more than 80% of prospective students.

Recruiting Communications for Social Sciences Programs

More than two-thirds of respondents want to hear about financial aid, application requirements, and application deadlines. These students want to know more about your institution and community as well; 77% want general information about the university and 73% want to know about the town or community you’re located in. Financial aid staff are the most important messengers, followed by faculty, and then current students before admission staff. Less than 6% of prospective students want to be contacted by mail, phone, text, or video; it was email or no contact at all for these students. Only a quarter say that they want weekly contact and 10% say they don’t want to be contacted at all. For those that do want to be contacted, 27% say that they only want to initiate the contact.

Other Graduate Programs

Other Programs - Niche 2021 Grad Searcher Survey

Many programs fell into the Other Graduate Programs category because there were not enough responses to qualify as significant, which was set as 0.5% of total responses. The most common responses falling into this category were religion/theology, mathematics, communications, veterinary programs, and architecture. Prospective students who were actively researching programs in May and June are primarily looking for Master’s programs. Only 15% are pursuing a doctoral program and 20% want a graduate certificate. Half of the respondents plan to start a program in 2021 and 20% are planning to start in 2022. While these students are interested in starting quickly, there are quite a few who started their search very early. There were 27% of prospective students who started actively researching graduate programs before starting undergraduate work, 46% during undergrad, and 27% after graduating undergrad. The most common reason for applying to graduate programs was for personal growth followed closely by career advancement.

Choosing Other Graduate Programs

Scholarships and program costs were the most important considerations when choosing a program. Most programs reversed these and placed more emphasis on costs over scholarships. The reputation of the program, reputation of the university, faculty qualifications, learning format (online, in-person, or hybrid), and program length are all factors that are important to more than 80% of prospective students.

Recruiting Communications for Other Graduate Programs

More than two-thirds of respondents want to hear about financial aid, application requirements, and application deadlines. These students want to know more about your institution and community as well; 75% want general information about the university and 72% want to know about the town or community you’re located in. Financial aid staff are the most important messengers, current students, and faculty before admission staff. Less than 5% of prospective students want to be contacted by mail, phone, text, or video; it was email or no contact at all for these students. Less than one-third say that they want weekly contact and 10% say they don’t want to be contacted at all. For those that do want to be contacted, 16% say that they only want to initiate the contact.