Research

The data behind the access gap.

Graduate education unlocks careers, income, and generational wealth — yet for too many students, the barriers to getting there are real and persistent. Here’s what the research shows.

$5M+

raised since 2018 · Brainery-reported, Aug. 2026

1,300+

prospective students reached since 2018

$10K

transitional grant per Ambassador

8 years

of the Graduate School Summit

Interactive tools

Explore the data yourself.

Free tools for first-generation students weighing graduate school, built on federal data.

Graduate Degree Supply & Demand

Graduate Degree Supply & Demand

How many graduates compete for each advanced-degree opening, by state, degree level, and field. Sourced from BLS OES 2024.

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Grad Debt Explorer

Grad Debt Explorer

Average annual federal borrowing by school, degree, and field, with a translator that turns the number into a monthly payment.

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Loan Cap Explorer

Loan Cap Explorer

How average borrowing from academic years 2020–2023 compares with today’s federal caps, by field, institution, and state.

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Earnings Explorer

Earnings Explorer

What graduate degree holders actually earn in 152 fields, and how often each major leads to graduate school. Georgetown CEW data.

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Earnings

Graduate degrees unlock greater opportunity.

Workers with graduate degrees earn $36,000 more in median annual earnings than all workers. The difference compounds over a career.

Median earnings by education level (USD) · Full-time workers ages 25–64

Professional degree

$130,000

Doctoral degree

$126,000

All workers with graduate degrees

$99,000

Master's degree

$92,000

Bachelor's degree

$78,000

Associate's degree

$54,000

Some college

$54,000

High school diploma

$46,000

Less than high school diploma

$38,000

All workers

$63,000

Source: Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce analysis of US Census Bureau and Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Current Population Survey, 2022. Earnings reflect median among full-time, full-year workers and are inflation-adjusted to 2022 dollars.

Debt burden

The debt burden falls hardest on students of color.

Graduate degree holders carry disproportionate debt — with averages reaching over $46,000 for Black students, nearly $15,000 above the all-group average of $31,428.

Average graduate school debt by race / ethnicity (USD)

Black or African American

$46,098

More than one race

$36,402

Hispanic or Latino

$33,915

Average — all groups

$31,428

American Indian/Alaska Native

$29,815

White

$29,431

Asian

$23,710

Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander

$21,591

Source: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. National Postsecondary Student Aid Study: 2020 Graduate Students (NPSAS:GR). Data retrieved from NCES PowerStats, 9/10/2025.

The access gap

Graduate education is essential — and increasingly out of reach.

$31,428

Average graduate school debt across all students

Debt creates a significant barrier — especially for students from lower-income families who can’t rely on family support to cover matriculation costs, housing, or living expenses in the first year of graduate school.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education, NCES — National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS:GR), 2020.

$36K

Median annual earnings premium, graduate degree holders vs all workers

The income difference between a graduate degree and the workforce average compounds over a lifetime of work — affecting wealth accumulation, retirement savings, and the economic trajectory of entire families and communities.

Source: Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce analysis of US Census Bureau and Bureau of Labor Statistics data, Current Population Survey 2022. Full-time, full-year workers 25–64, inflation-adjusted to 2022 dollars. The premium is the difference between the two figures in the chart above: $99,000 for workers with graduate degrees and $63,000 for all workers.

1,300+

Students supported by Leadership Brainery since 2018

Research confirms that graduate preparatory programs increase enrollment and success for students who lack access to institutional networks, admissions coaching, and financial aid guidance.

Figure reported by Leadership Brainery.

Published writing

Translating the data into insight.

Leadership Brainery writes on graduate access, admissions, and policy across Forbes, Times Higher Education, and Inside Higher Ed.

The End of the Grad School Lifeline?

Inside Higher Ed / Leadership Brainery

The End of the Grad School Lifeline?

When the Employer Is the Financial Aid Office

Inside Higher Ed / Leadership Brainery

When the Employer Is the Financial Aid Office

Graduate School Access: Where Are The Prep Providers?

Leadership Brainery

Graduate School Access: Where Are The Prep Providers?

Graduate Education: Where Is The Data?

Leadership Brainery

Graduate Education: Where Is The Data?

We Can't Let The New US Graduate Borrowing Caps Hit Social Mobility

Times Higher Education / Leadership Brainery

We Can't Let The New US Graduate Borrowing Caps Hit Social Mobility

4 Things to Consider Before Applying to a Doctorate

Leadership Brainery (Josh Farris)

4 Things to Consider Before Applying to a Doctorate

See all publications

Leadership Brainery’s response

Graduate school is a direct pathway to financial security and societal impact. Leadership Brainery prepares students to access that pathway — and provides a $10,000 transitional grant so debt doesn’t force them off it.

We prepare Ambassadors for competitive graduate programs that offer strong fellowships, scholarships, and research funding — programs where the cost of attendance is offset by institutional support. And upon enrollment, each Ambassador receives a $10,000 grant to cover relocation, matriculation, and early graduate-school expenses.