The Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need Program: 

Performance Assessment of 2000 and 2001 Fellows

U.S. Department of Education

Office of Postsecondary Education 

2006 
U.S. Department of Education

Margaret Spellings 

Secretary

Office of Postsecondary Education

James Manning 

Acting Assistant Secretary

September 2006 

This report is in the public domain. Authorization to reproduce it in whole or in part is 

granted. While permission to reprint this publication is not necessary, the citation should 

be: U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education, The Graduate 

Assistance in Areas of National Need Program: Performance Assessment of 2000 and 

2001 Fellows, Washington, D.C., 2006. 

This report is available on the Department’s Web site at: 

http://www.ed.gov/programs/gaann/performance.html. 

On request, this publication is available in alternate formats, such as Braille, large print or 

computer diskette. For more information, please contact the Department’s Alternate 

Format Center at 202-260-0852 or 202-260-0818. 
ii

Contents 

Tables..................................................................................................iii 

Figures..................................................................................................iv 

Executive Summary.................................................................................. 1 

Introduction............................................................................................ 1 

GAANN Program Funding.......................................................................... 3 

GAANN Program Performance Measures and Target Values................................. 4 

Participants and Demographics...................................................................... 6 

Evaluation of Program Performance for 111 Grantees........................................... 7 

Conclusion........................................................................................... 18
iii

Tables 

1. Federally appropriated funding and number of grants and fellowships awarded for the 

GAANN Program, by fiscal year: 2000–05................................................... 3 

2. Performance target and national average and benchmark values, by GAANN 

performance measures: 2004..... .............................................................. 5 

3. Number of GAANN grants awarded and number and percentage of GAANN grants 

closed as of December 2004, by cohort year: 2000–01..................................... 6 

4. Number and percentage of females and total enrollment in graduate school, by areas 

of national need: 2002............................................................................ 8 

5. Percentage of ethnic minorities enrolled in doctorate-granting institutions, by areas of 

national need: 2002............................................................................... 9 

6. Number and percentage of female GAANN fellows, by total number of fellows and 

type of institution: 2000 and 2001 cohorts...................................................10 

7. Academic status of GAANN fellows as of December 2004, by cohort: 2000 and 

2001.............................................................................................. 14 

8. Median number of years taken by GAANN fellows to earn a Ph.D. as of December 

2004, by cohort and type of institution: 2000 and 2001 cohorts......................... 17 
iv

Figures 

1. Distribution of GAANN fellows between public and private institutions: 2000 and 

2001 cohorts....................................................................................... 7 

2. Percentage of female GAANN fellows enrolled in graduate schools in areas of 

national need compared to the 2006 Program Performance Plan target and the 

national average: 2000 and 2001 cohorts..................................................... 10 

3. Percentage of ethnic minority GAANN fellows enrolled in graduate schools in areas 

of national need compared to the 2006 Program Performance Plan target and the 

national average: 2000 and 2001 cohorts..................................................... 11 

4. Percentage of ethnic minority GAANN fellows enrolled in graduate schools in the 

areas of national need compared to the 2006 Program Performance Plan target and 

the national average: 2000 and 2001 cohorts.................................................12 

5. Percentage of ethnic minority GAANN fellows in public and private institutions, by 

cohort: 2000 and 2001......................................................................... 13 

6. Percentage of GAANN fellows who completed a Ph.D. program or advanced to 

candidacy compared to the 2006 Program Performance Plan target and 2003 

performance benchmark: 2000 and 2001 cohorts.......................................... 14 

7. Academic status of GAANN fellows as of December 2004, by type of institution: 

2000 and 2001 cohorts......................................................................... 15 

8. Percentage of GAANN fellows from underrepresented groups, percentage of 

GAANN fellows who completed a Ph.D. program and the national average of 

students from underrepresented groups who received a Ph.D. in 2002: 2000 and 2001 

cohorts............................................................................................ 16 
1

Executive Summary 

The Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need (GAANN)1 Program awards grants 

to postsecondary institutions to provide fellowships for graduate students of superior 

ability and financial need who are pursuing terminal degrees in areas of national need. As 

of 2004, the areas of national need were: biology; chemistry; computer and information 

sciences; engineering; geological and related sciences; mathematics; and physics. 

This report describes data provided by GAANN grantees as of December 2004 for the 

cohorts of grants that first received their awards in program years 2000 and 2001.2

Generally, the data show that the program has had a positive impact to date: 

 

• Nearly one half (49 percent) of the fellows advanced to candidacy or obtained a 

Ph.D. as of December 2004, exceeding the U.S. Department of Education’s 

(Department’s) target. 

• Women received 41 percent of the fellowships, exceeding the Department’s 

target. This rate is nearly double the national graduate school enrollment rate of 

women. 

• Ethnic minorities, as a whole, received 24 percent of the fellowships, which is 

well above the nation’s doctoral study enrollment rate for ethnic minorities and 

just above the Department’s cumulative target. 

• Black or African-American fellows were the only ethnic minority that did not 

exceed the Department’s target. The proportion of African-Americans, 6.6 

percent, rounded to the nearest whole percentage, just meets the Department’s 

target of 7 percent. 

• The median time to achieve a doctorate (5.8–6.3 years) was shorter than both the 

Department’s target and the national average, thereby exceeding the Department’s 

goal. 

Introduction 

This report presents data on performance results reported to the U.S. Department of 

Education as of December 2004 by postsecondary institutions that received new GAANN 

grants in program years 2000 and 2001. Grantees provide the information required by the 

Government Performance and Results Act of 1993 (GPRA) when submitting their final 

(closing) performance reports. The performance data includes four measures that were 

developed for evaluating the overall effectiveness of the GAANN Program: 1) the 

percentage of fellows in the GAANN Program from traditionally underrepresented 

populations who enroll in programs offering a terminal degree in an area of national 

need, compared to the national average of enrollment in such programs; 2) the percentage 

 

1

 The GAANN Program is authorized in Title VII, Part A, Subpart 2 of the Higher Education Act of 1965, 

as amended (20 U.S.C. 1132a et seq.). 

2

 Some grantees who initially received awards in 2000 and 2001will not report final outcomes until 

2005 and 2006, respectively; thus, data on those awards have not been included in this report. 
2

of fellows in the GAANN Program who obtain a terminal degree in an area of national 

need; 3) the median duration of time from entering graduate school until degree 

completion, compared to the national average of comparable doctoral students; and 4) the 

program cost for each successful fellow. 

Program Background 

The GAANN Program began in 1988 with the reauthorization of the Higher Education 

Act of 1965 (HEA), as amended. The GAANN Program awards three-year grants to 

programs and academic units of postsecondary institutions to provide fellowships to 

graduate students3 of superior ability who demonstrate financial need and plan to pursue 

terminal degrees in areas of national need. The secretary of education designates areas of 

national need in a notice published in the Federal Register. The designated areas of 

national need in 2000 and 2001 were: biology; chemistry; computer and information 

sciences; engineering; geological and related sciences; mathematics; and physics.4 The 

terminal degree in these disciplines is a doctorate. The GAANN Program also encourages 

institutions to perform outreach activities to foster the enrollment of “talented students 

from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds” (Title VII, Part A, Subpart 2, Section 

713(b)(3) of the HEA, as amended (20 U.S.C. 1132a et seq.)). 

Postgraduate academic units of postsecondary institutions apply for the GAANN grants 

to provide a number of student fellowships. A typical GAANN Grant provides the 

academic unit or institution with a payment in lieu of charging fellows for tuition, fees or 

other expenses. The fellowship may also provide a stipend to the student based on 

financial need. 

Although GAANN grants are awarded for a three-year period, only about one-quarter of 

the grantee institutions use their grants and submit final reports at the end of the third 

year. About 75 percent of the institutions take a one-year, no-cost extension into a fourth 

year, and approximately one-third of those in their fourth year apply and are approved for 

an additional one-year, no-cost extension into a fifth year. Thus, for some grants, there 

can be a waiting period of four or five years until information on performance outcomes 

is available. 

 

3

 GAANN fellows must be U.S. citizens, alien permanent residents of the United States or persons 

intending to become permanent residents with the proper documentation of their status. (See 

34 CFR 648.40.) 

4 Federal Register 64, no. 130 (July 1999): 36862–36863; and Federal Register 65, no. 176 (September 

2000): 54844–54845. 
3

GAANN Program Funding 

Table 1 shows the federally appropriated funding levels for the GAANN Program for 

fiscal years (FY) 2000–05. The table also shows the numbers of fellowships supported. 

For FY 2004, appropriated funding for the GAANN Program was $30.6 million. This 

funding supported 51 new grants and 94 continuation grants. A total of 736 fellows 

benefited from the new and continuing grants. Historically, about every third year there 

has not been a GAANN grant competition because all available funds are used to provide 

continuation funding to grants awarded in the two previous years’ competitions. 

Table 1. Federally appropriated funding and number of grants and fellowships 

awarded for the GAANN Program, by fiscal year: 2000–05 

Appropriated 

funding (millions 

of dollars) 

New grants 

awarded 

Continuation 

grants 

awarded 

Students receiving 

new and 

continuing 

fellowships 

Fiscal year 

2005 30.4 None 145 736 

2004 30.6 51 94 736 

2003 30.8 94 86 937 

2002 31.0 None 201 1070 

2001 31.0 86 115 1070 

2000 31.0 116 106 1207 

Source: http://www.ed.gov/programs/gaann/funding.html (accessed July 21, 2006). 

Each grantee institution receives no less than $100,000 and cannot receive more than 

$750,000 in a single fiscal year from its new and continuing grants. As an additional 

requirement, the grantee must match, from nonfederal sources, at least 25 percent of the 

amount of the grant. 
4

GAANN Program Performance Measures and Target Values 

Performance Measures 

The U.S. Department of Education’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2006 Program Performance Plan 

(2006 Program Performance Plan) 5 states the objective of the GAANN Program: 

To increase the number of students of superior academic ability 

completing a terminal degree in designated areas of national need in 

order to alleviate the need. 

To assess program performance based on this objective, the 2006 Program 

Performance Plan specifies four performance measures: 

1. Enrollment of underrepresented populations. The percentage of fellows from 

traditionally underrepresented groups by grantee cohort enrolled in a terminal degree 

program in the designated areas of national need will increase. 

2. Graduate school completion. The percentage of GAANN fellows who obtain a 

terminal degree in an area of national need will increase. 

3. Time to degree completion. The median time from entering graduate school until 

degree completion will be less for GAANN fellows than comparable doctoral 

students, as identified annually in the Survey of Earned Doctorates.6

4. The cost per successful GAANN fellow. This measure is calculated by taking the total 

funding for years one, two and three, divided by the number of GAANN Ph.D.s and 

those who pass preliminary exams during that period. 

2004 Target Values for the Performance Measures 

In addition to establishing programwide performance measures and benchmarking 

program performance against comparable national standards, the Department establishes 

goals, or targets, for increasing program performance. Targets have been set for the first 

three performance measures: enrollment rate, completion rate and time to degree 

 

5

 Section 5 (“Enhance the Quality of and Access to Postsecondary and Adult Education”), subsection 

“HEA: Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need (GAANN)”, available at 

http://www.ed.gov/about/reports/annual/2006plan/index.html (accessed July 21, 2006). Hereafter cited as 

2006 Program Performance Plan. 6

 Hoffer, T.B., S. Sederstrom, L. Selfa, V. Welch, M. Hess, S. Brown, S. Reyes, K. Webber, and I. 

Guzman-Barron. 2003. Doctorate Recipients from United States Universities: Summary Report 2002. 

Chicago: National Opinion Research Center. This report gives the results of data collected by the Survey of 

Earned Doctorates, conducted for six federal agencies—National Science Foundation, National Institutes of 

Health, U.S. Department of Education, National Endowment for the Humanities, U.S. Department of 

Agriculture and NASA—by the National Opinion Research Center. (Hereafter cited as the 2002 Survey of 

Earned Doctorates.) 
5

completion. Currently, no target has been established for the cost per successful GAANN 

fellow measure. 

Table 2 provides the performance targets and national averages and benchmark values for 

the first three performance measures for the reporting year 2004. 

Table 2. Performance target and national average and benchmark values, by 

GAANN performance measures: 2004 

Performance 

target values

National 

average/benchmark 

values 

Performance measures 

 Percent 

Enrollment of underrepresented populations 

Women 35 21 

Asian or Pacific Islander 6 7.0 

Black or African-American 7 2.9 

Hispanic or Latino 2 2.9 

American Indian or Alaska Native 0 0.2 

Graduate school completion 28 47 

 Years 

Time to doctorate completion 6.45 6.7–7 

Source: 2006 Program Performance Plan, NSF: 2002;7 and 2002 Survey of Earned Doctorates. 

This report presents results on three of the four previously mentioned performance 

measures as reported by grantees as of December 2004. The evaluation of the GAANN 

Program as of December 2004 includes data from final reports submitted by those 

institutions first funded in 20008

 that closed their grants within four years and data from 

final reports submitted by those institutions first funded in 2001 that closed their grants at 

the end of three years. 

 

7

 National Science Foundation, Division of Science Resources Statistics. 2005. Graduate Students and 

Postdoctorates in Science and Engineering: Fall 2002. Arlington,Va.: Author. (Hereafter cited as NSF: 

2002.) 

8

 Throughout this report, the years mentioned are academic years, except where explicitly noted as fiscal, or 

program, years. The reference to 1999, for instance, is for the academic year 1999–2000. 
6

Participants and Demographics 

 

Descriptive Statistics of Programs at Postsecondary Institutions 

In 2000 and 2001, 68 postsecondary institutions (46 public and 22 private)9

 received 202 

grants. As of December 2004, 87 grants originally awarded in 2000 and 24 grants 

originally awarded in 2001 had closed. This report presents performance data from those 

academic grants. The remaining grants (91) were approved for no-cost extensions for an 

additional year into 2005 (table 3). 

Table 3. Number of GAANN grants awarded and number and percentage of 

GAANN grants closed as of December 2004, by cohort year: 2000–01

Number of Grants closed as of December 2004 

grants awarded Number Percent 

Cohort year 

2000 116 87 75 

2001 86 24 28 

Total 202 111 55 

Source: GAANN Program data; and GAANN Program Annual Performance Reports (APRs), 2004.

Note: Percent = number of grants closed x 100/number of grants awarded. 

Descriptive Statistics of GAANN Fellows 

An estimated 592 students were originally projected to receive fellowships from the 111 

grants reported; however, a significantly larger number of students received the 

fellowships. The original projection assumed that institutions would provide fellowships 

equaling the maximum allowable stipend and institutional payment. In 2000 and 2001, 

the maximum allowable stipend and institutional payment for each student for the year, 

as determined by the secretary of education annually in accordance with legislation,10

was approximately $30,000. Therefore, the three-year fellowship amount for each student 

was approximately $90,000. However, since the stipend cannot exceed the fellow’s 

financial need as determined each year, many fellows received less than the maximum 

annual allowance of $30,000. Financial need is determined each year on the basis of the 

requirements for need analysis prescribed by Title IV, Part F of HEA. 

In addition, many institutions far exceed the requirement that they match at least 25 

percent of their grant amounts. Since matching funds must be used for the same purpose 

as the GAANN funds, the amount available for fellowships was larger than originally 

 

9

 For the 2000 cohort, there were 34 public and 15 private institutions. For the 2001 cohort, there were 

12 public and seven private institutions. 

10 The GAANN Program is authorized in Title VII, Part A, Subpart 2 of the Higher Education Act of 1965, 

as amended (20 U.S.C. 1132a et seq.). 
7

projected. As a result, fellowships were awarded to 2.5 times the number of GAANN 

fellows—a total of 1,501 for both the 2000 and 2001 cohorts.

11

Fellowship recipients were nearly three times more likely to attend public institutions 

than private (fig. 1).12 A total of 1,112 students (74 percent) attended public institutions, 

while 389 students (26 percent) attended private institutions.

Figure 1. Distribution of GAANN fellows between public and private institutions: 

2000 and 2001 cohorts 

Private 

Institutions

26%

Public 

Institutions

74%

Total students = 1,501

Source: GAANN Program data; and GAANN Program APRs, 2004.

Evaluation of Program Performance for 111 Grantees 

Enrollment of Underrepresented Populations 

For the purpose of evaluating the GAANN Program, the 2006 Program Performance 

Plan defines underrepresented populations as women and the following ethnic groups: 

Asian or Pacific Islander; Black or African-American; Hispanic or Latino; and American 

Indian or Alaska Native. The 2006 Program Performance Plan sets the 2004 

performance target for this measure at the actual 2003 performance target. The 2004 

targets are: 35 percent for women; 6 percent for Asian or Pacific Islander; 7 percent for 

Black or African-American; 2 percent for Hispanic or Latino; and 0 percent for American 

Indian or Alaska Native. The authorizing legislation for the GAANN Program only 

recommends, but does not mandate, that institutions seek individuals from traditionally 

underrepresented groups when awarding fellowships. The goal of the GAANN Program 

is to maintain the 2003 levels of representation of women and ethnic minorities, while 

increasing terminal degree completion rates and reducing the median time to degree 

completion. 

 

11 For the 2000 cohort, 1,153 fellowships were awarded instead of the 474 originally projected. For the 

2001 cohort, 348 fellowships were awarded instead of the 118 originally projected. 

12 Seventy-five percent (870) and 70 percent (242) of the students attended public institutions for the 

2000 and 2001 cohorts, respectively. 
8

The 2004 performance is benchmarked against the national enrollment of 

underrepresented populations in areas of national need. The National Science Foundation 

regularly collects statistics on the participation of women, minorities and persons with 

disabilities in the science and engineering fields, including higher education enrollments. 

The Graduate Students and Postdoctorates in Science and Engineering: Fall 2002

Report (NSF: 2002) presents estimates of the total enrollments in science, engineering 

and health-related programs in 12,126 graduate academic units at 594 institutions in the 

United States and outlying areas.13

The graduate enrollment of U.S. citizens and alien permanent residents (those who hold 

green cards but have not yet been granted U.S. citizenship) from underrepresented 

populations in areas of national need, as reported in the NSF: 2002, is: 21 percent for 

females (table 4); 7.0 percent for Asians or Pacific Islanders; 2.9 percent for Blacks or 

African-Americans; 2.9 percent for Hispanics or Latinos; 0.2 percent for American 

Indians or Alaska Natives; and 4.1 percent for other ethnic minorities (table 5).14 The 

aggregate percentage for ethnic minorities is 17.1 percent. 

Table 4. Number and percentage of females and total enrollment in graduate 

school, by areas of national need: 2002 

 Female enrollmenta Total enrollmentb

 Number Percent Number

Areas of national need 

Biological sciences 26,352 43 61,132

Chemistry 4,583 24 19,046

Computer sciences 8,334 15 55,559

Engineering 13,795 12 119,608

Geological sciences 5,235 37 14,240

Mathematical sciences 4,386 24 18,163

Physics 1,166 10 11,701

Total 63,851 21 299,449

Source: NSF: 2002. a

 Female enrollment includes U.S. citizens and alien permanent residents (those who hold green cards but 

have not yet been granted U.S. citizenship). b

 Total enrollment includes U.S. citizens, permanent residents (those who hold green cards but have not 

yet been granted U.S. citizenship), and students with temporary visas. 

 

13NSF: 2002 

14 While the 2002 Survey of Earned Doctorates provides enrollment data by ethnicity at doctorate-granting 

institutions in areas of national need, it only provides data by gender for all graduate institutions, including 

those that offer master’s degrees. 
9

Table 5. Percentage of ethnic minorities enrolleda in doctorate-granting 

institutions, by areas of national need: 2002 

Asian / 

Pacific 

Islander

Black NonHispanic Hispanic

American 

Indian / 

Alaska 

Native Other

Areas of national need 

Biological sciences 8.1 3.8 4.1 0.3 4.0

Chemistry 4.7 3.1 3.4 0.3 2.8

Computer sciences 10.1 3.3 1.7 0.1 5.9

Engineering 6.7 2.5 2.7 0.2 3.5

Geological sciences 2.3 1.8 2.8 0.6 3.5

Mathematical sciences 5.4 2.9 2.6 0.1 4.3

Physics 3.3 1.9 2.2 0.2 4.5

Totalb 7.0 2.9 2.9 0.2 4.1

Source: NSF: 2002. 

Note: Table categories duplicate those mentioned in the NSF:2002. a

 Ethnic minority enrollment includes U.S. citizens and alien permanent residents (those who hold green 

cards but have not yet been granted U.S. citizenship). b

 Total is the percentage of the ethnic minorities enrolled in programs of biological sciences, chemistry, 

computer sciences, engineering, geological sciences, mathematical sciences and physics at doctorategranting institutions. 

Enrollment of female GAANN fellows 

Of the 1,501 fellows from the 2000 and 2001 grants closed as of December 2004, 41 

percent (618) were women.15 This rate was significantly higher than the rate at which 

women across the nation enrolled in graduate schools in the areas of national need. 

Female U.S. citizens and alien permanent residents made up only 21 percent of the 

graduate school enrollment in areas of national need, as reported in the NSF: 2002. 

Further, the enrollment rate of female GAANN fellows also exceeded the 2006 Program 

Performance Plan target of 35 percent (fig. 2). 

 

15 The percentage of female fellows in both the 2000 and 2001 cohorts was 41 percent (474 and 144, 

respectively). 
10

Figure 2. Percentage of female GAANN fellows enrolled in graduate schools in 

areas of national need compared to the 2006 Program Performance Plan

target and the national average: 2000 and 2001 cohorts 

21

35

41

0 10 20 30 40 50

Percent

Female Enrollment

2006 Program 

Performance Plan target

GAANN fellows

National average

Source: GAANN Program APRs, 2004; 2006 Program Performance Plan; and NSF: 2002. 

Note: Percentages are the percent of the total number of fellows. 

There was no significant difference in the proportion of female fellows attending public 

and private institutions. Of the fellows attending public institutions, 42 percent (469) 

were female; of the fellows attending private institutions, 38 percent (149) were female 

(table 6). 

Table 6. Number and percentage of female GAANN fellows, by total number of 

fellows and type of institution: 2000 and 2001 cohorts 

Female fellows Total fellows

Number Percent Number

Type of institution 

Public 469 42 1,112

Private 149 38 389

Total 618 41 1,501

Source: GAANN Program APRs, 2004. 

Note: Percentages are based on the total number of fellows. 

Enrollment of ethnic minority fellows 

Minorities represented 24 percent (360) of the 1,501 GAANN fellows from the 2000 and 

2001 cohorts reporting as of December 2004.16 This was a significantly greater 

proportion than the national average for ethnic minority doctoral degree enrollees (17 

percent) in areas of national need, as reported in the NSF: 2002. The proportion of 

 

16 Minorities represented 23 percent (265) of the 2000 cohort and 27 percent (95) of the 2001 cohort: 265 + 

95 = 360/1,501 = .2398 (24 percent, rounded up). This is not a significant difference at the 0.05 confidence 

level. 
11

minority GAANN fellows enrolled also exceeded the 2006 Program Performance Plan

target of 15 percent (fig. 3). 

Figure 3. Percentage of ethnic minority GAANN fellows enrolled in graduate 

schools in areas of national need compared to the 2006 Program 

Performance Plan target and the national average: 2000 and 2001 cohorts 

17

15

24

0 10 20 30

Percent 

Ethnic minority enrollment

2006 Program 

Peformance Plan target

National average

GAANN fellows

Source: GAANN Program APRs, 2004; and NSF: 2002. 

Although this performance measure was established to evaluate enrollments of ethnic 

minorities—Asians or Pacific Islanders; Blacks or African-Americans; Hispanics or 

Latinos; and American Indians or Alaska Natives—actual GAANN performance data 

was not collected on American Indians or Alaska Natives. Instead, the category “Others” 

was used. This category may have included American Indians or Alaska Natives and 

other ethnic minorities. The NSF: 2002 categories included American Indian or Alaska 

Native and Others. Given that people reporting mixed ethnic backgrounds are placed in 

the NSF: 2002 Other category, the categories as reported by GAANN grantees do not 

correspond to those reported in the NSF: 2002. Therefore, the results for American 

Indians or Alaska Natives will not be compared to the national average. 

There was a significantly greater proportion of Asian or Pacific Islander (9.0 percent), 

Black or African-American (6.6 percent) and Hispanic or Latino (6.6 percent) GAANN 

fellows enrolled in graduate schools in the areas of national need as compared to the 

national doctoral study enrollments for each group (7.0 percent, 2.9 percent and 2.9 

percent, respectively). The proportion of Asians or Pacific Islanders and Hispanics or 

Latinos also exceeded the 2006 Program Performance Plan targets of 6 percent and 2 

percent. However, the proportion of Blacks or African-Americans fell short of the 7 

percent 2006 Program Performance Plan target, if the actual GAANN proportion is not 

rounded up (fig. 4). 
12

Figure 4. Percentage of ethnic minority GAANN fellows enrolled in graduate 

schools in the areas of national need compared to the 2006 Program 

Performance Plan target and the national average: 2000 and 2001 cohorts 

2.9

2.9

7.0

2

7

6

6.6

6.6

9.0

0 2 4 6 8 10

Hispanic

Black

Asian

Percent

Ethnic minority enrollment

GAANN fellows

2006 Program 

Performance 

Plan target

National average

Source: GAANN Program APRs, 2004; and NSF: 2002. 

Note: Percentages are the percent of the total number of fellows. 

Overall, 77 percent (276) of the ethnic minority GAANN fellows attended public 

institutions, and 23 percent (84) attended private institutions. This compares closely with 

the proportion of all GAANN fellows, regardless of ethnicity, attending public and 

private institutions (fig. 1). A larger proportion of fellowships were awarded to ethnic 

minorities at public institutions in the 2000 cohort compared to the 2001 cohort (81 

percent versus 65 percent, respectively; fig. 5). 

While the proportions of Asians or Pacific Islanders and Blacks or African-Americans 

were approximately the same in both the 2000 and 2001 cohorts, the percentage of 

Hispanic or Latino fellows increased from 6 percent (64) in the 2000 cohort to 10 percent 

(35) in the 2001 cohort.17

 

17 Asians or Pacific Islanders and Blacks or African-Americans were 8.7 percent (100) and 6.9 percent (80) 

of the 2000 cohort. Asians or Pacific Islanders and Blacks or African-Americans were 10.1 percent (35) 

and 5.5 percent (19) of the 2001 cohort. 
13

Figure 5. Percentage of ethnic minority GAANN fellows in public and private 

institutions, by cohort: 2000 and 2001 

Source: GAANN Program APRs, 2004.

Doctoral Degree Completion and Candidacy 

To be considered qualified for preparing and defending a doctoral thesis, candidates are 

required to pass a preliminary examination, thus advancing to candidacy. The doctoral 

degree completion measure counts students who advance to candidacy as well as students 

who receive a doctorate. Adding advancement to candidacy as a milestone to degree 

completion provides a more realistic assessment of fellows’ progress because the threeyear grant award period is shorter than the average time required to obtain a doctorate. 

 

The 2006 Program Performance Plan specifies a performance target of 28 percent for 

Ph.D. program completion or advancement to candidacy. The 2004 performance is also 

benchmarked against the actual 2003 performance of 47 percent, as reported in the 2006 

Program Performance Plan. 

As of December 2004, 49 percent (731) of GAANN fellows successfully completed their 

Ph.D. program or advanced to candidacy.18 Therefore, the actual performances exceeded 

both the target and the benchmark (fig. 6). 

 

18 Of the 2000 cohort, 50 percent (578) received a Ph.D. or advanced to candidacy, and 44 percent (153) of 

the 2001 cohort received a Ph.D. or advanced to candidacy. 

2001 cohort

Ethnic minority fellows = 95

Private 

institutions 

35% Public 

institutions 

65%

Ethnic minority fellows = 265

2000 cohort

Public 

institutions 

81%

Private 

institutions 

19%
14

Figure 6. Percentage of GAANN fellows who completed a Ph.D. program or 

advanced to candidacy compared to the 2006 Program Performance Plan

target and 2003 performance benchmark: 2000 and 2001 cohorts 

28

49

47

0 20 40 60

Percent

Completed Ph.D./

advanced to candidacy

GAANN fellows

2006 Program 

Performance Plan target

2003 performance

benchmark

Source: GAANN Program APRs, 2004.

A higher proportion of fellows (16 percent) in the 2000 cohort have completed a Ph.D 

program, compared to fellows in the 2001 cohort (10 percent). The same proportion (34 

percent) of fellows had advanced to candidacy (table 7). 

Table 7. Academic status of GAANN fellows as of December 2004, by cohort: 2000 

and 2001 

Academic status 

Completed 

Ph.D. 

Advanced to 

candidacy

Still 

enrolled as 

a student

Completed 

master’s degree or left 

the graduate program 

Total 

fellows

 Percent 

Cohort 

2000 16 34 30 20 1,153

2001 10 34 45 11 348

Source: GAANN Program APRs, 2004.

Private postsecondary institutions that received GAANN grants showed a significantly 

higher rate of successful Ph.D. program completion and advancement to candidacy than 

did public institutions. A slightly larger percentage of fellows earned a Ph.D. at private 

institutions (17 percent) than those attending public institutions (14 percent). In private 

institutions, 47 percent (183) of the GAANN fellows advanced to candidacy. In public 

institutions, only 30 percent (329) of fellows advanced to candidacy (fig. 7). 
15

Figure 7. Academic status of GAANN fellows as of December 2004, by type of 

institution: 2000 and 2001 cohorts 

30

14

13

23

47

19

37

17

0 20 40 60

Completed master’s degree or left the

graduate program

Still enrolled as a student

Completed preliminary exam

Completed Ph.D.

Percent

Private institution

Public institution

Academic status

Completed master’s degree or left

the graduate program

Source: GAANN Program APRs, 2004. 

Note: There were 1,112 fellows in public institutions and 389 in private institutions. 

In an effort to increase the number of Ph.D.s received by students from traditionally 

underrepresented groups, the GAANN Program encourages institutions to perform 

outreach activities to these groups to increase minority enrollment rates. Figure 8 

illustrates the Ph.D. completion rates of GAANN fellows from underrepresented groups. 

It also compares the percentage of fellows from underrepresented groups who completed 

a Ph.D. program as of 2004 with the national percentage of students from 

underrepresented groups who received a Ph.D. in 2002. The national percentage is 

derived from the report Science and Engineering Doctorate Awards: 2002 (S&E 

Doctorates: 2002).19 

 

19 National Science Foundation, Division of Science Resources Statistics, 2003. Science and Engineering 

Doctorate Awards: 2002. Arlington, Va.: Author. (Hereafter cited as S&E Doctorates: 2002.) 
16

Figure 8. Percentage of GAANN fellows from underrepresented groups, percentage 

of GAANN fellows who completed a Ph.D. program and the national 

average of students from underrepresented groups who received a Ph.D. 

in 2002: 2000 and 2001 cohorts 

4.0

3.3

14.1

3.7

45

41

35

8.2

4.6

6.6

6.6

9.0

0 10 20 30 40 50

Hispanic

Black

Asian

Women

Percent

Underrepresented groups

GAANN fellows

GAANN fellows 

completing a 

Ph.D. program

National average 

of 2002 Ph.D.s

Source: GAANN Program APRs, 2004; and S&E Doctorates: 2002. 

Note: The national average includes only U.S. citizens and alien permanent residents (those who hold green 

cards but have not yet been granted U.S. citizenship) in areas of national need. 

The enrollment and completion rates for female GAANN fellows were approximately the 

same. Females received 41 percent of GAANN fellowships and earned 45 percent (98 of 

219) of GAANN Ph.D.s.20 The GAANN Program, however, generated a higher 

proportion of female Ph.D.s than did the nation’s graduate programs (35 percent). 

Although ethnic minorities received 24 percent of GAANN fellowships, they only earned 

17 percent (38 of 219) of GAANN Ph.D.s.21 This represents a statistically significant 

difference at the 0.05 level. Asians or Pacific Islanders received 9 percent of GAANN 

fellowships and earned 8.2 percent of Ph.D.s among GAANN fellows. Blacks or AfricanAmericans received 6.6 percent of GAANN fellowships and earned 4.6 percent of Ph.D.s 

among GAANN fellows. Hispanics or Latinos received 6.6 percent of GAANN 

fellowships and earned 3.7 percent of Ph.D.s among GAANN fellows. 

The proportion of ethnic minorities who earned Ph.D.s as GAANN fellows, 17 percent, 

was lower than the proportion who earned Ph.D.s in the nation (21 percent). Although a 

lower percentage (8.2 percent) of Asians or Pacific Islanders earned Ph.D.s in the 

GAANN Program than in the nation as a whole (14.1 percent), a higher percentage (4.6 

percent) of Blacks or African-Americans earned Ph.D.s in the GAANN Program than in 

 

20 In the 2000 cohort, 47 percent (87) of the fellows who earned a doctorate were women, and in the 

2001 cohort, 31 percent (11) were women. 

21 In the 2000 cohort, 20 percent (31) of the fellows who earned a doctorate were ethnic minorities, and in 

the 2001 cohort, 25 percent (7) were ethnic minorities. 
17

the nation as a whole (3.3 percent).22 Hispanics or Latinos earned approximately the same 

percentage of Ph.D.s in the GAANN Program as in the nation (3.7 percent and 4.0 

percent, respectively).23

There is no significant difference in the proportion of ethnic minority GAANN fellows 

who earned Ph.D.s in public and private institutions. In public institutions, 16 percent 

(25) earned Ph.D.s, and in private institutions, 20 percent (13) earned Ph.D.s.24

Time to Doctoral Degree Completion 

The third performance measure, time to doctoral degree completion, is available only for 

that fraction of fellows completing a Ph.D. program. The 2006 Program Performance 

Plan has a 2005 performance target of 6.45 years. It also identifies the median length of 

time that fellows remained in graduate school to complete their Ph.D. program, as 

reported in the 2002 Survey of Earned Doctorates, the benchmark for this measure. Also, 

according to the 2002 Survey of Earned Doctorates, the median numbers of years to 

Ph.D. program completion in the fields that cover most of the GAANN areas of national 

need are 6.7 years for engineering, 6.8 years for the physical sciences, and seven years 

for life sciences. 

As of December 2004, the 2000 cohort of GAANN fellows remained in graduate school 

to earn a doctorate for a shorter period of time than the 2001 cohort of fellows. The 

median length of time for the 2000 cohort of GAANN fellows who earned a doctorate 

was 5.8 years, and for the 2001 fellows, it was 6.3 years. There was little difference 

between public and private institutions (table 8). 

Table 8. Median number of years taken by GAANN fellows to earn a Ph.D. as of 

December 2004, by cohort and type of institution: 2000 and 2001 

cohorts 

 Median Number of Years 

 2000 cohort 2001 cohort Combined cohorts 

Type of institution 

Public 5.8 6.8 5.8 

Private 5.8 6.3 6.0 

Total 5.8 6.3 5.8 

Source: GAANN Program APRs, 2004.

 

22 In the 2000 cohort, 9 percent (17) and 3 percent (6) of the fellows who earned a doctorate were Asian or 

Pacific Islander and Black or African-American, respectively. In the 2001 cohort, 3 percent (1) and 

11 percent (4) of the fellows who earned a doctorate were Asian or Pacific Islander and Black or AfricanAmerican, respectively. 

23 In the 2000 cohort, 4 percent (7) of the fellows who earned a doctorate were Hispanic or Latino, and in 

the 2001 cohort, 3 percent (1) were Hispanic or Latino. 

24 In public institutions, 8 percent (12), 4 percent (6), and 4 percent (6) of the fellows who earned a 

doctorate were Asian or Pacific Islander, Black or African-American and Hispanic or Latino, respectively. 

In private institutions, 9 percent (6), 6 percent (4), and 3 percent (2) of the fellows who earned a doctorate 

were Asian or Pacific Islander, Black or African-American and Hispanic or Latino, respectively. 
18

The median length of time that GAANN fellows in both cohorts stayed in school to earn 

a doctorate (5.8 years, 2000 cohort; 6.3 years, 2001 cohort; and 5.8 years, combined 

cohorts) was shorter than the 2006 Program Performance plan target of 

6.45 years. These results were also shorter than the median numbers of years taken to 

earn a doctorate in the areas of national need, as reported in the 2002 Survey of Earned 

Doctorates: 6.7 years, engineering; 6.8 years, physical sciences; and seven years, life 

sciences. 

It is important to note that the GAANN data were incomplete in two ways: 1) not all 

grantees with students in these cohorts have provided final report data as of the date of 

this report; and 2) not all the fellows who can be expected to complete a Ph.D. program 

have finished their work. Given that the data to be reported later can be expected to 

include fellows who have taken longer to complete their Ph.D.s, the median lengths of 

time to a doctorate for these cohorts can be expected to increase. 

Cost per Successful GAANN Fellow 

The cost-effectiveness measure is calculated by dividing the total amount of funds 

provided to one cohort by the number of successful GAANN fellows who earned a 

doctorate or advanced to candidacy. The measure is calculated for a single cohort once all 

grants in that cohort have closed. This allows the maximum time for fellows to be 

successful. Since a grantee is allowed up to five years to complete the grant, the 2004 

cost-effectiveness measure would be based on the 1999 cohort. As there was no 1999 

cohort, the cost-effectiveness measure for 2004 cannot be calculated. 

Conclusion 

The GAANN Program provides support to Ph.D. program students in areas of national 

need: biology; chemistry; computer and information sciences; engineering; geological 

and related sciences; mathematics; and physics. The U.S. Department of Education has 

compared the 1,501 fellows reported as of December 2004 from the 2000 and 2001 

cohorts that received GAANN awards with the 276,477 graduate students in NSF: 2002 

and the 10,215 doctorate recipients identified in the 2002 Survey of Earned Doctorates. 

The GAANN Program’s graduate school enrollment of underrepresented populations 

exceeded expectations for all but one ethnic group. The actual program performance for 

the graduate school completion measure (49 percent) exceeded the 2006 Program 

Performance Plan target of 28 percent and 2003 performance benchmark of 47 percent. 

The median length of time that the 2000 and 2001 GAANN fellows who earned a 

doctorate stayed in school was 5.8 years and 6.3 years, respectively. This was a shorter 

length of time than the performance target of 6.45 years, and significantly shorter than the 

national median in areas of national need (6.7–7.0 years). 
19

In summary, analyses of interim data for the GAANN Program, based on the 2000 and 

2001 cohorts, show that the program’s performance is, in most respects, equal to or better 

than the target levels set in the Department’s 2006 Program Performance Plan.