Graduate Students of Color Recruitment Experiences: Factors Influencing Their Decisions

• In Event: Exclusive Inclusion of White Space: Systemic Racism Experiences of Students of Color in Higher Education

Abstract

Purpose. Whether overtly or covertly, universities extend an invitation to members of specific communities during their recruitment and admissions processes. Therefore, for students of color, whether they feel invited to join a university, and how, have important implications for the evolution and growth of that university. The purpose of this study is to explore what factors influence students’ decision to enroll in programs within our college and to how satisfied are students with their experiences in the programs in which they choose to enroll?

Methods & Data. To understand the experiences of graduate students of color with the recruitment process, we surveyed new graduate students of color about their experiences during the application cycle and about their current experiences once they matriculated. The sample included 29 non-white first year graduate students in one college at a large flagship research university in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. The sample included Black, Latinx, Asian, and multi-racial students, students in PhD and MA/MS programs, and students who identified as men and women. Two women - an associate professor of color and a white postdoc –analyzed the survey data using both quantitative and qualitative methods, with support from a larger committee of researchers committed to racial justice.

Findings & Significance. We found that several factors impacted students’ decisions to enroll in their respective program included funding, diversity climate, admissions requirements, interactions with faculty and students, and for some students first impressions from their program’s website. We found that funding was the most impactful factor for enrollment as for questioning their decision to enroll. The diversity climate of the university was the second most commonly selected factor for both deciding and questioning the decision to enroll.

Students were also asked to comment about whether their current experiences in their respective programs had met their expectations. Most students shared that their experience has been positive with acknowledgement that there is always room for growth. Some students described positive class experiences; others described positive social experiences and stated they felt included and supported. When asked for improvements, several students named funding as a need. Others brought up the need to improve the university’s diversity climate, and several commented that the lack of funding as evidence that diversity is not a university priority.

The recruitment process for the students surveyed appeared to be positive for those students who felt empowered enough to engage with it, but not all students had an entirely positive experience. We also note that this sample suffers from selection bias; only the students who chose to enroll at this university were included. Students whose experiences were altogether so negative to deter them from the university, their voices are lost. Similarly, students are mostly happy about their decision, but not entirely so. We note that students were only enrolled at this university for about 3 months before participating in the survey. And at some universities, students of color may be recruited with implied promises that ultimately fall short during their lived experiences.

Author

• Tracy Sweet, University of Maryland