Statement of purpose

National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for the Annual Survey of Graduate and Postdoctorates in Science and Engineering (GSS)

The Survey of Graduate Students and Post-octorates in Science and Engineering (also known as the graduate student survey or GSS) provides data on the number and characteristics of students in graduate science and engineering (S&E) and health-related fields enrolled in U.S. institutions. NSF uses the results of this annual survey to assess trends in financial support patterns and shifts in graduate enrollment and postdoctoral appointments. The graduate student survey collects data from all U.S. institutions offering graduate programs in all science and engineering fields and specific health-related fields of interest to NIH. This annual survey collects data items at the academic department level. Data include counts of full-time graduate students by source and mechanism of support, by total and by women; part-time graduate students by sex; and citizenship and racial/ethnic background of all graduate students, including first-time students. (source)

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