An assessment of the need for and use of selected graduate student services at The American University

The primary purpose of this study was to assess the need for and use of selected university-provided student services by a sample of graduate students at The American University; and to determine the extent to which the reported need for and use of these services was independent of gender, age, citizenship, and enrollment status. The study hypothesized that the need for and use of 23 university provided services by a sample of graduate students was independent of their gender (male and female), age (under 33 and 33 or over), citizenship (U.S. citizen and non-U.S. citizen) and enrollment status (part-time and full-time). Chi-square tests were used to test the research hypotheses. The study sample consisted of 604 graduate students at The American University during the spring semester of 1989. Data were gathered in-class using two pre-tested survey instruments. The Graduate Student Services Inventory consisted of 23 university-provided graduate services and the Personal Data Sheet contained 12 socio-demographic variables. The results showed that graduate students had a hierarchy of needs for services. The respondents expressed more need for services that helped them meet their academic, educational, financial, and career-related concerns than their personal and social concerns. The most needed and used services were academic advising, library services, and computer services. The results of the chi-square tests showed many significant differences in the need for and use of services based on gender, age, citizenship, and enrollment status. In general, females, younger graduate students, non-U.S. citizens, and those enrolled full-time expressed the highest level of need for and use of services. The major conclusion was that gender, age, citizenship, and enrollment status affected the needs of graduate students for selected services. Thus, survey data may be more valuable when used to identify subpopulations with special needs than when used to provide a needs profile for the general student population.