Our Mission

For six decades, the Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) has been the national voice for the graduate dean community. CGS is the only national organization in the United States that is dedicated solely to the advancement of graduate education and research. 

CGS accomplishes its mission through advocacy in the policy arena, innovative research, and the development and dissemination of best practices. CGS also acts as a convening authority, organizing major events that bring together graduate deans and other stakeholders to discuss and take action on a broad range of issues affecting graduate education today. 

In 2021, CGS is celebrating its 60th anniversary. To kick of this celebration, higher education leaders from our member institutions, former CGS board members, long-time staff, and leaders from other institutions that support graduate education submitted their well-wishes, which were compiled into a view that was shown during CGS's Virtual 60th Annual Meeting in December 2020. This video clip can be viewed below. 

Our Members

Institutional Members

The core of CGS membership consists of our institutional members, universities and colleges significantly engaged in graduate education, research, and scholarship culminating in the award of the master’s or doctoral degree. Nearly 500 universities in the United States and Canada, and 27 universities outside the United States and Canada claim membership in CGS. Collectively, CGS institutions annually award roughly 87% of all U.S. doctorates and a majority of all U.S. master’s degrees. Please visit Become a Member to learn more about the benefits of institutional membership.

Corporate and Nonprofit Members

CGS also invites corporations and nonprofit organizations with strong investments in graduate education to apply for Corresponding or Sustaining Membership. Our corresponding members understand that graduate education is vitally important and recognize the special role of graduate deans in the complex world of higher education. Our corporate membership program provides mutual benefit to corporations and graduate deans through closer relationships, opportunities for corporate visibility, and the exchange of relevant information. Learn More about our Corporate and Nonprofit Relationships.

Core CGS Activities

We invite you to explore research and education projects and member services in CGS' four core areas of activity:

Best Practice Initiatives

Drawing on research as well as the expertise and leadership of graduate deans at CGS member institutions, our Best Practice Initiatives test and develop solutions to pressing issues in graduate education.

Benchmarking

Benchmarking data and services help member institutions assess performance in specific areas of graduate education and research and make informed decisions that benefit students, faculty, and the institution as a whole.

Public Policy & Advocacy

As the national voice for graduate education, CGS serves as a resource for policymakers and others on issues concerning graduate education, research, and scholarship.

Global Engagement

CGS’ international activities are designed to help member institutions develop a global profile and network in the graduate education community and implement emerging best practices for internationalization of their campuses.

About the Data Source

The current data source used in most CGS data briefs and reports is:

U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. (2018). IPEDS 2016 Completions, Data file C2016_A. Retrieved from https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/datacenter/DataFiles.aspx

Institutional membership in CGS is open to universities and colleges of higher education significantly engaged in graduate education, research and scholarship. The Council of Graduate Schools offers three types of Institutional Membership.

Regular and Associate Membership

Available to institutions in the United States and Canada significantly engaged in graduate education, research and scholarship, and the preparation of candidates for advanced degrees.

International Membership

Available to institutions of higher education outside the United States and Canada that are significantly engaged in graduate education, research, and scholarship.

The Council of Graduate Schools Strategic Consultations are led by recognized graduate leaders selected from CGS member institutions and informed by an on-campus or a virtual site-visit. Aligned with CGS research, benchmarking, and policy documents, consultations guide universities toward best practices for administering graduate education. Standard consultations include a two-consultant/two-day model and a three-consultant/three-day model. For institutions requiring immediate assistance, an emergency one-consultant/one-day model is available. Consultations are available to CGS member institutions, international affiliates, and non-members institutions. 

Initiating a Strategic Consultation:

A consultation is initiated by contacting Robert M. Augustine, CGS Senior Vice President Emeritus at raugustine@cgs.nche.edu or 217-549-5246 who will arrange an online discussion with the university leadership to create a consultation Assessment Profile. The profile details the areas of graduate study that the institution seeks to advance and prepares the consultants for the on-campus or virtual site-visit.

On Campus Site Visit

On campus site visit planning begins with confirmation of the consultants. The consultation team studies the Assessment Profile and university support materials. In collaboration with the university, the consultation team develops the site-visit agenda. Based on the model selected by the university, the consultants travel to campus and meet with institutional representatives who inform assessment of the areas outlined in the profile. 

Virtual Site Visit

Virtual site visits also begin with confirmation of the consultants. The consultation team studies the Assessment Profile and university support materials. In collaboration with the university, the consultation team develops a virtual site-visit agenda. Based on the model selected by the university and using virtual technologies, the consultants hold discussions with institutional representatives who inform assessment of the areas outlined in the profile. 

Strategic Consultations Report

Integrating information obtained from the on-campus or virtual site visit, university documents, and CGS research, the consultants deliver a detailed report to the university. The report’s recommendations will align the university with best practices for administering its graduate mission with emphasis on the areas outlined in the Assessment Profile.  

Frequently Requested Areas of Consultation:

• Organization & Administration of Graduate Education
• Enrollment Management
• Program Review, Assessment, Signature Programs
• Professional Development and Related Student Services
• Financial Assessment and Student Funding
• Marketing, Recruitment, & Demand Analysis
• Graduate Admissions Structures and Processes
• Preparing for and Responding to Accreditation
• Completion and Attrition

CGS provides on-site consultations and custom data reports to member and non-member institutions. Depending upon your strategic consultation topic, you may choose to combine services.

Custom Data Reports

The Council of Graduate Schools also offers custom data reports inform strategic decision-making. The reports provide leaders with comparison data tailored to institutional Carnegie classification and mission based on benchmarking data, national surveys, and comprehensive data sets. 

Strategic Consultations Fee Structure:

For more information on strategic consultations, please contact Robert Augustine, senior vice president, emeritus.

CGS members have access to a special online report, Graduate Enrollment and Degrees by Fine Field: 2002 to 2012.

This report includes data tables on first-time and total graduate enrollment data by field of study (chemistry, history, philosophy, etc.), gender, citizenship, and race/ethnicity, and also includes, for the first time, data on graduate degrees awarded by field of study, degree level (master's vs. doctoral), and gender.

Data for 2012 are presented, along with one-, five-, and ten-year trends.

You must be logged in to access the report online.

For more information, please contact:

Jeff Allum

The Council of Graduate Schools welcomes your involvement and active participation by offering a number of membership and partnership opportunities.

Institutional Membership

Institutional membership in CGS is open to universities and colleges of higher education significantly engaged in graduate education, research and scholarship. Here you can see the institutional memberships CGS offers.

Sustaining Membership Network

CGS invites organizations, corporations, foundations and other associations who share the Council’s mission and have interest in promoting graduate education to apply for membership in the CGS Sustaining Membership Network.

Membership Dues

Membership dues vary depending on level and type of membership. Here you can see a full list of the financial commitments expected of each member.

Outreach Opportunities

CGS offers its sustaining members a host of new opportunities for visibility at the organization's Annual Meeting. Non-members can take advantage of opportunities to exhibit at the Annual Meeting and to advertise in the CGS newsletter, GradEdge.

In an effort to increase participation and success of underrepresented groups in graduate education, CGS strives to ensure that inclusiveness is advanced across all CGS programs and activities. The programs and publications listed below have a specific focus on issues of diversity and inclusiveness.

Investigating Challenges to Matriculation and Completion for Underrepresented STEM Graduate Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic presents new obstacles to the matriculation, persistence and completion of U.S. graduate students, with those who are first-generation, low-income, racially and ethnically underrepresented (URM) at greatest risk for educational disruptions. With funding from the National Science Foundation’s (NSF #2037360) Rapid Response Research (RAPID) program, CGS will collaborate with the Council for Opportunity in Education (COE) and the Council of Historically Black Graduate Schools (CHBGS) to understand challenges currently faced by URM and first-generation students and to provide just-in-time information that will help support their success.

Hispanic Serving Institutions: A Critical Pipeline to Graduate School for Latinx Students

“Hispanic Serving Institutions: A Critical Pipeline to Graduate School for Latinx Students” is an information brief and interactive toolkit designed to help close the gap in graduate degree attainment for Latinx students. The project was led by JoAnn Canales, CGS’s Dean-In-Residence from 2018 through 2019.

Doctoral Initiative on Minority Attrition and Completion (DIMAC)

The National Science Foundation’s Alliances for Graduate Education and the Professoriate (AGEP) program aims to address this problem by providing supports that can help underrepresented minorities complete their doctoral studies and find employment as faculty at American institutions of higher education. Evaluations of the AGEP program indicate that the numbers of underrepresented minority students enrolling in STEM doctoral programs have increased over time, but the research conducted to date has not tied the activities and initiatives of the AGEP institutions to student success, particularly completion rates.

Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program

The Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program prepares low-income, first-generation in college, and minority students to pursue doctoral degrees and careers in college teaching.

The Ph.D. Completion Project

The underrepresentation of women and minority graduates at all education levels is among growing concerns over workforce issues that relate to the vitality and competitiveness of the U.S. economy. Improving completion rates for all doctoral students, and particularly for those from underrepresented groups, is vital to meeting our nation's present and future workforce needs. The Ph.D. Completion Project is a seven-year, grant-funded project that addresses the issues surrounding Ph.D. completion and attrition, including issues faced by underrepresented students.

ETS/CGS Award for Innovation in Promoting Success in Graduate Education: From Admission through Completion

This program recognizes promising efforts in initiating or scaling up innovations in graduate education that occur from admission through successful completion of a degree program. It is designed to link innovative admissions practices with other institutional practices including, but not limited to, mentoring, support programs, intellectual enrichment, and social support, that will improve student success once students are enrolled in their graduate programs. This award program is especially interested in encouraging innovations that promise to improve the success of a diverse and inclusive student population.

Broadening Participation in Graduate Education

This report highlights programs that been able to successfully enhance diversity and inclusiveness in graduate education, including policy recommendations aimed at identifying and cultivating talent from traditionally underrepresented groups.

Building a Diverse, Equitable, Accessible, and Inclusive Graduate Community: A Statement of Principles

This statement of principles outlines the Council's position on values and practices that are essential to building an inclusive graduate community.

CGS Occasional Paper Series

The CGS Occasional Paper Series includes case studies highlighting the achievements, best practices, and lessons learned of CGS awardees and grant recipients in ensuring success in graduate education, focusing specifically on inclusiveness and diversity in graduate education.

CGS is connected with the Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program through the Council of Graduate Schools/Council for Opportunity in Education (COE) Joint McNair Committee.

Named in honor of the astronaut who died in the 1986 Space Shuttle Challenger explosion, McNair is one of the TRIO programs funded under Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965. It is designed to encourage and prepare low-income, first-generation in college, and minority students to pursue doctoral degrees and careers in college teaching. It represents the largest and best pipeline of potential graduate students from these groups in the nation.

COE and CGS distributes an annual directory of McNair Scholars to CGS member institutions every fall. 

McNair Fee Waivers

For a list of graduate schools that provide application fee waivers and other financial incentives for McNair students, click here.

McNair Scholars Directory

The McNair Scholars Directory contains the names of McNair Scholars from around the country. For directions to download the password-protected directory from the COE website, click here. Instructions for accessing the directory are also sent to CGS members each fall.

McNair Email Discussion List

CGS members with graduate opportunities, recruitment, or meeting information of interest to the McNair community may forward this information to Hironao Okahana for posting on the McNair Email Discussion List. All pertinent contact information should be included in the message. Only individuals affiliated with McNair programs may subscribe to the discussion list.

Contact

Suzanne Ortega

The Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) established its Dean-in-Residence (DIR) Program in 1983. The program offers an opportunity for graduate deans, and associate deans to spend an academic year at the Council's Washington D.C. office. Each year one dean is selected from CGS member institutions to work with the CGS staff and participate in the ongoing work of the Council.

Full details and application instructions

Graduate Education 2020 was launched in 2006 to mark the twentieth anniversary of the CGS/GRE Enrollment and Degrees Survey. The program supports a major international conversation, to evolve over a decade, on the future of graduate education. An annual symposium conducted in concurrence with the CGS meeting in December each year brings in leading thinkers and strategists with expertise on topics including demographics, global trends in higher education, the economy, technology, and social transformation. Please see below for CGS publications on the project.

Graduate Education 2020 Publications

Graduate Education 2020 (2009)

The Graduate Education 2020 symposium series, a partnership between CGS and ETS, promotes strategic reflection on trends that promise to shape the future of graduate education. This first volume includes a framing essay by CGS staff and contributions on a range of topics from three speakers at the 2006 and 2007 CGS "Graduate Education 2020" symposia: Anthony Carnevale, Stephen Joel Trachtenberg, and Chris Dede.

Graduate Students in 2020: New Perspectives (PDF) (CGS Communicator, July 2006, Volume 39, Number 6)

Graduate Education 2020: CGS Launches Annual Research Symposium on the Future of Graduate Education (PDF) (CGS Communicator, January/February 2006, Volume 39,  Number 1)