Membership Dues
Regular and Associate Members (Universities and Colleges in the US and Canada)
CGS is supported primarily by member dues. Dues levels are established each year by the Board of Directors and collected annually, with dues notices sent to members in July. There are eleven dues categories for Regular and Associate Member institutions based on the head count of graduate students enrolled. The 2020 and 2021 Regular and Associate membership dues levels are as follows (please note that 2021 membership dues remain at the same level as 2020):
| Graduate Student Headcount* Enrolled | 2020 and 2021 Dues Regular Members |
2020 and 2021 Dues Associate Members |
| 1 - 500 | $3,467 | $3,178 |
| 501 - 800 | $4,671 | $3,821 |
| 800 - 1,200 | $5,114 | $4,367 |
| 1,201 - 1,500 | $5,412 | $4,741 |
| 1,501 - 3,000 | $5,749 | $5,036 |
| 3,001 - 5,500 | $6,103 | $5,577 |
| 5,501 - 8,000 | $6,977 | $6,111 |
| 8,001 - 10,500 | $7,852 | $6,878 |
| 10,501 - 13,000 | $8,780 | $7,691 |
| 13,001 - 15,500 | $9,605 | $8,411 |
| 15,501 and above | $10,474 | $9,175 |
Canadian institutions may remit dues in $CAN at par with $US.
*Headcount includes all graduate students (full and part-time) with the exception of those enrolled in first-professional degree programs, i.e., dentistry, law, medicine, optometry, pharmacy, podiatric medicine, divinity, veterinary medicine.
International Membership (Universities and Colleges Outside the US and Canada)
Dues levels are as follows:
| International Member Dues Category* | 2020 Dues |
| Low-income and Lower-middle-income economies | $2,000 (USD) |
| Upper-middle-income economies | $3,000 (USD) |
| High-income economies | $4,000 (USD) |
*As defined by the World Bank Classification.
Sustaining Membership Network (Companies and Large Nonprofit Organizations)
Dues range from $6,000 to $25,000 (USD) annually
Corresponding Affiliates (University Systems and Small Nonprofit Educational Associations)
Dues are currently $4,000 (USD) annually
The Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) has implemented a credit card usage convenience fee effective as of January 1, 2020 in the amount of 4% of the transaction price when paying obligations to the Council. Although this fee is designed to defray the increasing costs of accepting credit cards for payments of dues, meeting registrations, sponsorships, publications, and other items, our desire is not to charge the fee at all, but to change member and non-member behavior to employ different payment methods such as ACH, Wire transfer and good old fashioned checks when they conduct business with CGS. CGS does not intend to record revenue from this change, but instead, be able to re-deploy the member dues funds previously used for credit card acceptance towards additional graduate education programming needs. The Council thanks you for your ongoing support for the enterprise of graduate education.
For information on dues, please contact memberservices@cgs.nche.edu.
CGS is the leading source of information, data analysis, and trends in graduate education. Our benchmarking data help member institutions to assess performance in key areas, make informed decisions, and develop plans that are suited to their goals.
CGS Best Practice initiatives address common challenges in graduate education by supporting institutional innovations and sharing effective practices with the graduate community. Our programs have provided millions of dollars of support for improvement and innovation projects at member institutions.
As the national voice for graduate education, CGS serves as a resource on issues regarding graduate education, research, and scholarship. CGS collaborates with other national stakeholders to advance the graduate education community in the policy and advocacy arenas.
CGS is an authority on global trends in graduate education and a leader in the international graduate community. Our resources and meetings on global issues help members internationalize their campuses, develop sustainable collaborations, and prepare their students for a global future.
