Graduate Student Affairs

Core Objectives

The core objectives of Graduate Student Affairs (GSA) are to advance holistic graduate education by understanding and responding to the evolving needs of Duke’s graduate students, strengthening coordinated systems of support, and fostering inclusive excellence within the graduate community. GSA fulfills these objectives by delivering a broad array of resources and services across its core areas: advocacy, events and programs, inclusive excellence, language support, mentoring, professional development, and wellbeing, partnering with students, faculty, and campus stakeholders to enhance the overall graduate student experience.

Advocacy

1. Subsidy programs
   Childcare Subsidy: The Childcare Subsidy provides financial support to help full-time, enrolled PhD students in good standing offset the cost of childcare expenses.

   Hardship: The Hardship Fund provides limited financial assistance to full-time, enrolled PhD students in good standing experiencing unexpected financial emergencies or urgent living expenses.

   Medical Assistance: The Medical Assistance Fund provides limited support to full-time, enrolled PhD students in good standing for unforeseen, non-routine medical expenses not otherwise covered.
    

2. GSA advises and assists a number of graduate student organizations. Graduate student groups help GSA invest its resources into programming that addresses the specific needs of various segments of the graduate community that may not be addressed within academic disciplines. Graduate student organizations associated with The Graduate School are eligible to apply for annual funding through GSA if they have completed their annual report.

3. Graduate students are entitled to learning and training environments free from discrimination, harassment, and sexual misconduct. The Graduate School has developed several resources to help our students understand the options and processes for reporting and addressing such concerns.

4. The Graduate School makes a conscious effort to solicit and incorporate input from our graduate students as we work to enhance their experience. This is done in many ways, including standing meetings between the school leadership and various student organizations, particularly the Graduate and Professional Student Government, the official representative body for PhD and master's students. Aside from those meetings, there are several other ways we receive input from our students: the Graduate Student Affairs Advisory Committee, the GSA Graduate Student Liaisons, and the Council of Presidents. Learn more.

Events and Programs

GSA hosts signature programs that mark students’ progress throughout their graduate careers.

• New Student Orientation aids students in their transition to Duke by providing information about the academic community, policies, and resources.

• The Graduate Student Resource Fair occurs during New Student Orientation and features representatives from various university offices and the local community.

• A Milestone Recognition Reception for PhD candidates honors those who pass preliminary examinations yearly.

• During Commencement weekend, GSA hosts the PhD Hooding Ceremony, which celebrates the culmination of doctoral study.

• The Dean’s Awards recognize graduate students and faculty for excellence in teaching and mentoring.

Inclusive Excellence

The Graduate School is dedicated to and benefits from a student population comprising all backgrounds, cultures, socioeconomic statuses, abilities, and work and life experiences. Our commitment to inclusive excellence contributes to a fuller representation of perspectives within the academic life of the university. As part of a larger institutional commitment to inclusion, one of Duke’s core values, we recruit applications from all sectors of society, including prospective students whose life experiences may include the challenge of access due to a disability. Learn More About Inclusive Excellence.

As part of our long-standing commitment to cultivating a community of graduate students who represent all life experiences and backgrounds, The Graduate School works to:

• Engage with prospective students from a range of backgrounds and experiences

• Review fellowship applications fairly and holistically, using an evidence-based evaluation rubric

• Promote an academic and social environment where these scholars can flourish

The Graduate School also demonstrates its commitment to inclusive excellence by offering optional staff training, workshops, and exercises in partnership with Duke’s Office of Institutional Equity and other campus resources.

The Office of Graduate Student Affairs partners with faculty to support and expand graduate recruitment by attending fairs nationwide, connecting with prospective students, and sharing information about Duke’s programs. The Graduate School also promotes inclusive excellence through partnerships with national consortia.

GSA supports the Summer Research Opportunities Program (SROP), which identifies potential graduate students in the biomedical sciences in their undergraduate years, and the Duke University Center of Exemplary Mentoring, which recruits and supports PhD students in the physical sciences and engineering.

Language Support 

The English Language Support Program (ELSP) supports multilingual graduate and professional students in becoming confident, independent users of academic and professional English. The program provides English-language instruction, advising, and assessment centered on students’ field-specific communication needs.

Multilingual graduate and professional students whose first language is not English are required to take oral and written English placement exams administered by ELSP upon matriculation at Duke. Details about the ELSP placement exams—including eligibility, possible exemptions, and exam format—are available on the ELSP website.

Depending on their exam results, students are either exempt from or placed into one or more ELSP courses. Students must complete all assigned courses to meet The Graduate School’s academic requirements and to receive their degrees. ELSP courses are intended to be taken early in students’ graduate careers, ideally during the first year.

Mentoring

GSA recognizes that mentoring is central to graduate student success and to Duke’s broader educational mission. The Graduate School is committed to cultivating a strong culture of mentoring that supports students’ academic, professional, and personal development through respectful, collaborative relationships. Through mentoring programs, training, and a dedicated mentoring resource website, GSA equips students, faculty, and staff with the tools to build effective mentoring relationships. Strong mentoring enhances student engagement, satisfaction, and productivity, supports timely degree completion, and prepares students for diverse career pathways.

Professional Development

GSA provides strategic leadership to ensure that Graduate School students can identify the full range of career options available to them and develop the transferable skills to succeed in those careers. The Graduate School sponsors and partners with groups and offices across campus to provide programs, resources, and professional development events to help students with every step along the way – from identifying potential career paths, to developing the skills to compete for them, to managing their career. These offerings help prepare students for success in the full range of careers open to graduates with master’s and PhD degrees. For more information, visit The Graduate School’s professional development website.

Wellbeing

GSA serves as a central point of contact for students, faculty and staff seeking support, offering informal consultation, advising, and follow-up, and helping students/faculty/staff navigate a wide range of campus resources. In close collaboration with partners across the university including Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS), DukeReach, Graduate and Professional Student Services, the Office for Institutional Equity, Student Disability Access Office, the Office of the Ombuds. GSA connects students to services that support their mental, physical, and social wellbeing. Through outreach, programming, and cross-campus collaboration, GSA also works to foster a sense of belonging and community among graduate students. Whether your student is facing an immediate concern or seeking to strengthen their overall wellbeing, GSA encourages you (or your student) to reach out to us and take advantage of available wellness resources.