Undergraduate Summer Research Programs and Graduate School Outcomes: Don’t Ignore Rejected Program Applicants

We tracked a sample of primarily Black psychology baccalaureates’ advanced degree enrollments and completions and estimated the association of those outcomes with summer research experience by merging three data sets: (a) summer research program participants, (b) a comparison group of alumni, mostly without summer research, and (c) degree completions from the national Student Tracker (ST) database. Rates of degree completion reported by ST were higher for summer research applicants than for those not applying, but among applicants, rates were similar for those accepted and rejected. Controlling for grade point average (GPA) in a surveyed subsample, participation in summer research was not significantly associated with enrollment in or completion of master's degrees. Students with higher GPAs were more likely to enroll and complete, and Black students were more likely to enroll.