The 2010 survey synthesis represents a decade of student opinion about the teaching and learning environment and overall student experience at the University of Saskatchewan.
These summarized findings are meant to ensure that the student voice is included in the university planning process at all levels to address the emerging priority needs to support undergraduate and graduate students.
In 2010, 87% of graduate students were satisfied with their overall experience at the U of S. Most graduate students were also satisfied with their academic experience (90%), graduate program (84%), and student life experience (81%).
Overall, U of S graduate students had similar levels of satisfaction as our Canadian peers (see Appendix B).
This is one of the 10 fact sheets included in the launch of the 2010 survey synthesis. Each fact sheet focuses on a specific theme or aspect of the student experience as reported by
University of Saskatchewan survey participants between 2001 and 2010.
From 2007 to 2010, satisfaction with master’s programs increased slightly from 84% to 86%, while satisfaction with doctoral programs decreased from 86% to 80%.
Master’s students were more likely than doctoral students to report they would choose the U of S if they were to start their graduate career again (70% vs. 61%). They were also more likely to recommend the U of S to someone considering their program (77% vs. 69%), and to someone in another field of study (66% vs. 55%).
These surveys include the Canadian University
Survey Consortium (CUSC) and the National
Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE), among others.
For the complete list of surveys used in the
2010 survey synthesis, please see Appendix A of this package.
For more information about specific surveys at the University of Saskatchewan, please contact the office of Institutional Planning and Assessment (IPA) at: ipa_assessment@usask.ca
.
In 2007 and 2010, approximately 40% of graduate students received funding from government sources or their employers.
About 70% of master’s students and 86% of doctoral students reported receiving some form of financial support from the U of S (i.e. scholarship, fellowship, bursary, assistantship and other academic related employment).
Approximately half of master’s students and 40% of doctoral students used savings, loans, family assistance and/or non-academic related employment to finance their studies.
One-third of graduate students received a teaching assistantship, compared to 48% for our Canadian peers; 26% received a research assistantship, compared to 39% for our Canadian peers.
Complete List of Fact Sheets in Initial Launch Package
Pre-university ° First-year Transition ° Graduate Students ° Post-graduation Trends ° Teaching and Learning ° Student Finances
Out-of-class Experience ° Major Facilities and Services ° Aboriginal Students ° Overall Satisfaction

In 2010, 88% of graduate students agreed their advisor, overall, performed their role well .
About 80% of graduate students rated the advice they received on research ethics as excellent, very good or good , compared to approximately 70% among graduate students at our Canadian peer institutions.
Between 2007 and 2010, satisfaction with the quality of academic advising and guidance decreased from
79% to 72% for master’s students and from 79% to 68% for doctoral students.
On average, 38-43% of graduate students were satisfied with advice/workshops on career options both within and outside academia , compared to 44-51% for our Canadian peers.
In 2010, doctoral students were generally less satisfied with the quality of their academic programs and coursework, interactions with their advisor, their professional skills development and their research experience , as compared to 2007.
In 2010, the following facilities and services received the highest satisfaction ratings by graduate students: athletic facilities (94%), library facilities (93%), information technology services (90%), international office
(87%) and health care services (86%).
The following services received the lowest satisfaction ratings: housing assistance (52%), child care services
(53%), food services (54%), career services (59%) and financial aid office (65%).
U of S graduate students who were Canadian citizens were 20 times less likely to live in university housing than non-Canadian citizens (2% vs. 42%). Only 1.4% of Aboriginal graduate students lived in university housing.
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Graduates from master’s or doctoral programs in 2004 generally had higher median incomes than graduates from undergraduate programs ($63,000 and $60,000 vs. $44,000, respectively) two years after graduation.
Graduates with a master’s or doctoral degree in 2004 were less likely to experience difficulties in repaying their government student loan than graduates with a bachelor’s degree (20% vs. 32%).
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Combined results for U of S and U of R. Source: SK Advanced Education & Employment (2007), Graduate Outcomes of
2004-2005 Class.
Complete List of Fact Sheets in Initial Launch Package
Pre-university ° First-year Transition ° Graduate Students ° Post-graduation Trends ° Teaching and Learning ° Student Finances
Out-of-class Experience ° Major Facilities and Services ° Aboriginal Students ° Overall Satisfaction