Pathways to Graduate School: 1. A Data Overview of U.S. Women Prospective Graduate Students—Profiles of Nine Racial Groups

Abstract

Understanding the diverse pathways women take toward graduate education is crucial but often overlooked. When these journeys are presented, they are typically compared to men’s experiences, which can obscure the unique challenges and opportunities women face. This descriptive research study, one of five reports, aims to provide a comprehensive profile of U.S. women who may pursue graduate study, disaggregated by race/ethnicity. Nine distinct profiles of women, based on race/ethnicity, are presented. The 698,298 women who provided gender and race/ethnicity information and had scores for all three GRE^® test measures are the subjects. GRE General Test data from July 1, 2016, to June 30, 2021, supplemented with U.S. Department of Education and U.S. Census data, are analyzed. These women, referred to as prospective graduate students (PGS), are examined through six core questions: (a) Who were the women PGS? (b) Where did they reside? (c) What were their education and work experiences? (d) What were their undergraduate experiences? (e) What were their plans for graduate study? and (f) What were their emerging graduate school choice sets? Key findings include the following: (a) The majority of women PGS across the nine profiles lived in 10 states, however, the composition of these 10 states varied by group; (b) two out of five women PGS were enrolled in college, with considerable variation across the nine racial profiles; (c) across the profiles, there was a 40 percentage point difference in having no parent with a bachelor’s degree, ranging from 68% of Mexican women to 28% of White women; (d) 33% of women PGS reported being eligible for a Federal Pell Grant, ranging from 24% of White women to 60% of Black women; (e) women across the nine profiles were comparable in majoring in the physical sciences or engineering as undergraduates but differed substantially in majoring in life sciences; and (f) 32% of all women PGS considered a regional comprehensive university in their state of residence for graduate school, with notable variation, ranging from 42% of Mexican women to 28% of Asian women.

Suggested citation: Millett, C. M. (2025). Pathways to graduate school: 1. A data overview of U.S. women prospective graduate students—Profiles of nine racial groups (Research Report No. GRE-25-01). ETS.