Reducing APSA Division Fees Bolsters Graduate Student Membership Dramatically

Insights from the Field

Graduate Students

Division Fees

Reduced Costs

Pay to Play? How Reducing APSA Division Fees Increases Graduate Student Participation was authored by Bailey R. Fairbanks, Fabian G. Neuner, Isabel M. Perera and Christine M. Slaughter. It was published by Cambridge in PS in 2021.

In 2017, the American Political Science Association (APSA) took steps to lower student fees for division membership, hoping to boost graduate involvement. This analysis shows nearly two-thirds of divisions reduced or eliminated fees by 2019.

📉 Fee Changes

Between 2017 and 2019, the average student fee dropped from $11.57 to $5.84—a near halving.

📊 Membership Surge

In divisions that cut costs:

• Average membership jumped over 300% (from 79.5 to 248.7)

• Non-reducing divisions saw only a ~30% increase

✅ Key Outcome

Lower fees correlated strongly with significantly increased graduate student participation across sections.

This intervention underscores the impact of cost reductions on engagement.