Below are resources for Rutgers faculty and staff to support the diverse needs of our graduate students
It includes information on workshops and training opportunities such as Safe(R) Space, Mental Health First Aid, Title IX trainings, etc and assessments and surveys conducted and administrated by various university faculty, staff, and organizations. The survey results are featured here to highlight the data collected on the growing complex needs of our graduate students. The hope is that they can be utilized as tools for Rutgers units to generate discussion and inform decision-making on efforts to support graduate students’ basic needs, mental health, and well-being and improve campus climate. If you are a university department, school, faculty, or staff that has assessments or any other information that you would like to share and displayed on this site, please send to Ghada Endick at gendick@echo.rutgers.edu.
- Graduate Students at a Glance
As of July 31, 2017, the Rutgers Board of Governors approved the creation of a new “School for Graduate Studies” merging the Graduate School-New Brunswick and the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. The new School for Graduate Studies provides personalized academic support to approximately 5,200 students enrolled in over 150 doctoral, master’s and dual degree programs across New Brunswick and Newark. The second largest graduate unit is the School of Social Work and the Graduate School of Education. Almost 900 graduate students and their families live on campus.
As of Fall 2022 enrollment, there are approximately 14,000 graduate students at Rutgers–New Brunswick (including RBHS) in pursuit of graduate studies in very diverse academic and career paths coming from around the world. Below is a snapshot of enrollment by school. More information on enrollment data can be found in OIRAP Fact Book
- Basic Needs Insecurity Amongst Rutgers-NB Students
Basic needs include food and housing, childcare, mental health, financial resources, and transportation, among others. Student basic needs security is critical for ensuring strong academic performance, persistence, graduation, and overall student well-being.
Food insecurity, housing, and homelessness are issues for many Rutgers-New Brunswick students. Research from 2019 indicates that 41.3% of undergraduates and 46% of graduate students report experiencing at least one basic need insecurity.
Reference: Cuite, C.L., Brescia, S.A., Willson, K., Weintraub, D., Walzer, M., Bates, L. (2020). Basic Needs Insecurity Among Rutgers-New Brunswick Students. https://go.rutgers.edu/BasicNeedsStudyFor more information and resources on Basic Needs, visit: https://ruoffcampus.rutgers.edu/basic-needs
- Policy Brief: Parenting Students and Graduate Education
In August 2024, the School of Graduate Studies' Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Graduate Student Advisory Committee released a policy brief on parenting students and graduate education advocating for child- and family-friendly infrastructure at Rutgers University. Read the full policy brief HERE.
- Graduate Students Mental Health (CGS & Jed Foundation)
The Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) has produced a report, in collaboration with The Jed Foundation, on graduate student mental health and well-being. A growing body of evidence indicates that mental health challenges are common among graduate students. Unfortunately, many barriers exist to effective support and care.
Beginning in 2019, CGS and The JED Foundation undertook a project to create an evidence base to inform future policies, programs, and resources.
The results of the project and the report, “Supporting Graduate Student Mental Health and Well-being: Evidence-Informed Recommendations for the Graduate Community”, can be accessed by visiting: https://cgsnet.org/project/graduate-student-mental-health-and-well-being.
The website contains the final report and recommendations, a webinar, consultant papers, and other valuable resources.
- Graduate Student Mental Health Survey (GSA)
The GSA has a Graduate Student Mental Health Committee (MHC) dedicated to helping graduate students, bringing awareness to commonly overlooked mental health issues, and reducing the stigma associated with help-seeking. The committee distributed a mental health survey to the graduate student body across the Rutgers – New Brunswick campuses from May 2021 to February 2022. A total of 254 graduate students submitted responses. To honor these students’ voices, the survey results were summarized and made public in the below report. The Supplemental Materials include a copy of the survey questions in the order they appeared during the survey (S1) and a complete record of the anonymous responses to the three open-ended survey questions (S2).
A complete record of the anonymous responses to the three open-ended survey questions (S2).- Graduate Student Mental Health Survey Report
- Supplemental Materials
For more information on GSA Mental Health Initiatives, visit: https://gsa.rutgers.edu/resources/health-and-wellness/
- 2018 #iSPEAK Campus Climate Assessment
In the spring of 2018, Rutgers University-New Brunswick conducted a large-scale campus climate survey, #iSPEAK, which provided students’ experiences of interpersonal violence (IPV)
The 2018 #iSPEAK Campus Climate Assessment was administered in conjunction with the Center on Violence Against Women and Children. Click here to visit their Campus Climate Project page.
Survey reports, summary key findings, and the action plan can be located by visiting: http://endsexualviolence.rutgers.edu/climate-assessment/
- Mental Health and Suicide Prevention
Campus Connect Suicide Prevention Gatekeeper Training
For all graduate students
This experiential training aims to increase knowledge about statistics, risk & protective factors, warning signs, and campus resources concerning college student suicide. Open to all students, faculty and staff members. If you would like to book a closed session for your group, contact Nikita Cuvilje at nikita.cuvilje@rutgers.edu
Click here to learn more.
Mental Health First Aid
For all graduate students
Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) – Higher Ed curriculum – teaches you how to identify, understand and respond to signs of mental illnesses and substance use disorders. This 8 hour training — which focuses on the unique experiences and needs of college students — gives you the skills you need to reach out and provide initial support to someone who may be developing a mental health or substance use problem and help connect them to the appropriate care and resources.
Free to undergraduate students, graduate students/TA’s, faculty, and staff members. All classes will be in person. The location will be announced prior to class.
Contact Kate.woodside@rutgers.edu to get more information, schedule a training, or cancel or change your enrollment.
Click here to learn more.
- Diversity Training
Safe(R) Space Training
For all graduate students
Safe(R) Space is a campus wide program designed to visibly identify students, staff, and faculty peers who support the LGBTQIA+ population, understand some of the issues facing LGBTQIA individuals, and are aware of various LGBTQIA-affirming resources on campus.
Click here to learn more.
SGS DEI Graduate Student Advisory Committee
For all graduate students
The School of Graduate Studies established the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Graduate Student Advisory Committee in 2022 to advise on the implementation of the SGS DEI Strategic Plan and on DEI priorities beyond the strategic plan. Through building peer-to-peer connections, fostering relationships with campus partners, and designing projects/deliverables around a specific DEI-focused subcommittee topic, the committee aims to contribute to a more just, equitable, and inclusive graduate education experience.Click here to learn more.
