Centering Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Graduate Admissions

Abstract

Many undergraduate neuroscience trainees aspire to earn a PhD. In recent years the number, demographics, and previous experiences of PhD applicants in neuroscience has changed. This has necessitated both a reconsideration of admissions processes to ensure equity for an increasingly diverse applicant pool as well as renewed efforts to expand access to the training and research experiences required for admission to graduate programs. Here, we describe both facets of graduate school admissions by demystifying the process and providing faculty with tools and resources to help undergraduate students successfully navigate it. We discuss admissions requirements and processes at two graduate institutions, highlighting holistic approaches to evaluating students, the ever-increasing research experience expectations, and the decreasing reliance on the GRE. With a particular focus on improving equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging, we discuss resources for applying to graduate school that are available for students from underrepresented populations, including summer institutes and fellowship programs and intentional relationships with minority serving institutions (MSIs) to foster bi-directional engagement between undergraduate programs at MSIs and graduate institutions. With diverse perspectives as faculty involved in undergraduate education, graduate programs, and post-baccalaureate training programs, we provide recommendations and resources for how to help all trainees - especially those from populations underrepresented in the STEM workforce - succeed in the current graduate education admissions landscape.

Keywords: diversity; equity; graduate programs; inclusion.

Figure 1

Number of applicants and admission percentages for 15 different programs from 2018–2023. All data were gathered as a part of the NGLS Coalition or directly provided by the authors of this manuscript. Programs were included in this table if they provided admissions data, were a neuroscience-specific program, and included multiple years of data. The average for both # of applicants and % admitted is shown as the thick black line; individual programs are in light gray. Harvard Program in Neuroscience and University of Illinois Neuroscience Program, both described in depth in this manuscript, are in crimson and orange, respectively. A complete table of data can be found in Appendix A.