Insights on Diversity & Inclusion
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"Diverse perspectives are a catalyst for innovation. When we limit diversity in graduate education, we bind innovative scholarship and research."
Bill Andrefsky
Edward R. Meyer Distinguished Professor Emeritus and Former Graduate Dean, Washington State University
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"Increasing student diversity requires not only diversifying the pipeline and the faculty, but also implementing holistic admissions, developing strong institutional support with advising and mentoring programs, and fostering an inclusive community."
Michael Cunningham
Associate Provost for Graduate Studies and Research and Professor of Psychology and Africana Studies at Tulane University, and Chair of the GRE Board Services Committee
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"Programs struggling to increase diversity and inclusion can be successful by avoiding short-cut solutions and learning from other institutions that have done it well."
Janet Rutledge
Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), and GRE Board Past Chair
Can Holistic Admissions Help Increase Student Diversity?
Four graduate school deans discuss the role that holistic admissions, inclusive of GRE® scores, can have in:
- Balancing strengths and weaknesses of various components of the application packet
- Being fair to applicants and achieving diversity goals
- Recognizing disparities in educational opportunities
- Mitigating reviewer bias
Learn more about implementing a holistic admissions process that is fair and inclusive.
A Commitment to Fairness and Equity
Expanding access to graduate education has always been our mission. ETS takes a 360 approach to ensuring its tests are fair, secure and accessible so that every test taker has equitable opportunity to demonstrate their skills.
Resources from the Graduate Community
Tulane University: Making Campus Diversity Real — Starting in Kindergarten
Michael Cunningham, Associate Provost for Graduate Studies and Research and Professor of Psychology and Africana Studies, asserts that longstanding, uncomfortable institutional issues must be addressed with a multipronged plan of action rather than shortcut solutions.
University of Maryland, Baltimore County: Getting Real About Graduate Diversity and Inclusion
Janet Rutledge, Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School, shares key strategies that, when supported by a sustained and concerted effort, are proven to help graduate schools increase diversity.
University of Texas at Austin: Prioritizing Diversity in Graduate Education
Mark J.T. Smith, Dean of the Graduate School and Senior Vice Provost for Academic Affairs, shares his experience fostering diverse and inclusive communities at Purdue University and UT Austin.
University of Illinois: Diversifying Graduate Education
Wojtek Chodzko-Zajko, Dean of the Graduate College and the Shahid and Ann Carlson Khan Endowed Professor of Applied Health Sciences, shares a 22-step plan to achieve diversity goals, from increasing access to ensuring student success.
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: Diversity and Student Success (DSS) Program
Maria Dykema Erb and Kathy Wood, co-directors of UNC-Chapel Hill’s Diversity and Student Success program, share the philosophy behind diverse graduate student success through community building, personal and professional development, and funding assistance.
Washington State University: Protect Graduate Student Success During COVID-19
Bill Andrefsky, the Edward R. Meyer distinguished professor emeritus and former graduate dean, urges graduate programs to reinforce their mentorship programs as a way to ensure student success during the pandemic.
Resources from ETS
Strategies for Increasing Graduate School Diversity
In collaboration with the Council of Graduate Schools (CGS), ETS hosted a one-day symposium featuring discussions around successful strategies that, when used together, present pathways for more holistic, inclusive practices to attract and retain graduate students from diverse social and educational backgrounds.
Learn more Opens in new window about key themes, download panelist presentations and view graphic recordings.
Recent Event Recaps and Research
Below is a curated collection of some of the most relevant ETS research and forums addressing topics related to diversity, racial inequities and accessibility for people with disabilities. We will continue to update this list as we pursue equity for learners worldwide.
2019 to 2020
- Taxing the African American Student: The Impact and Mitigation of Structural Stigma on Test Performance and School Success (PDF) Opens in new window (2020 event recap)
- Integrating Social Emotional Skill Development throughout College Access Program Activities: A Profile of the Princeton University Preparatory Program Opens in new window (2020 article)
- Test-Based Accountability Systems: The Importance of Paying Attention to Consequences (2020 event recap) Opens in new window (2020 event recap)
- Using Mathematical Models to Improve Access to Postsecondary Education Opens in new window (2020 chapter)
- History of Testing in the United States: Higher Education Opens in new window (2019 article)
2017 to 2018
- A Focus on Educational Assessment: Advancing African-American Education Excellence (PDF) Opens in new window (2018 event recap)
- Social Networks and Minority Male College Access: The “Tip of the Iceberg” Phenomena Opens in new window (2018 article)
- Shifting Paradigms of Student Success: Integrating Noncognitive Assessment Into Hispanic-Serving Institutions (PDF) Opens in new window (2018 report)
- College Admissions: Is There a Better Way? Opens in new window (2018 article)
- Moving Forward: Policies, Planning, and Promoting Access of Hispanic College Students Opens in new window (2018 book)
- New Directions: Assessment and Preparation of Hispanic College Students Opens in new window (2018 book)
- Investing in Student Success: Examining the Return on Investment for Minority-Serving Institutions Opens in new window (2017 report)
- Alternative Paths to Diversity: Exploring and Implementing Effective College Admissions Policies Opens in new window (2017 report)
- Challenges and Opportunities in Achieving the National Postsecondary Degree Attainment Goals Opens in new window (2017 report)
- The Brilliance, Tenacity and Strength of Latinos in America (PDF) Opens in new window (2017 event recap)
- Responding to the Opt-Out Movement Opens in new window (2017 article)
2015 to 2016
- Opt Out: An Examination of Issues Opens in new window (2016 report)
- The Dynamics of Opportunity in America: Evidence and Perspectives Opens in new window (2016 book)
- Choosing Our Future: A Story of Opportunity in America Opens in new window (2016 report and video Opens in new window)
- Underrepresentation of Hispanics in Higher Education & the Need to Change: Undergraduate, Graduate, Faculty, Presidents Opens in new window (2016 event recap)
- Students at the Margins and the Institutions That Serve Them: A Global Perspective Opens in new window (2016 report)
- The Decade Ahead: Inquire, Innovate, Impact Opens in new window (2015 event recap)
- Addressing Achievement Gaps Advancing Success for Black Men in College (PDF) Opens in new window (2015 event recap and video Opens in new window)
- America’s Skills Challenge: Millennials and the Future Opens in new window (2015 report)
Find dozens of other resources on the ETS Policy Evaluation and Research Center's Policy Information Center Opens in new window and Achievement Gap Opens in new window sites, the Tomás Rivera Lecture Series Opens in new window page, and the ETS Center for Research on Human Capital and Education Opens in new window site.
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