Recruiting students can be a complicated, time-consuming, and even overwhelming process that takes attention, organization, and preparation. Recruitment is just the first step in a holistic approach to bringing talent to our graduate programs and diversifying our graduate student body.
Anytime is a great time to start laying the foundation needed to identify students for your academic program. Our hope is this toolkit will provide you with invaluable information about identifying, recruiting, enrolling, and ultimately mentoring underrepresented students.
NOTE: This page is being updated. Not all information has been added, so please come back later.
This web page will assist programs and departments in recruiting racially and ethnically diverse students and disadvantaged and/or first-generation college students. Recruitment starts before you meet applicants; it begins when you develop an enrollment management plan that diversifies both your student body and faculty.
The first step is to look at the Inclusive Excellence Framework, and:
a) Assess the current composition of your student body, faculty, and staff. Assess your current practices in light of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Develop objectives and strategies to prioritize diversity, equity, and inclusion.
b) Assess the opportunities for your students, faculty, and staff to access professional development opportunities in diversity, inclusion, equity, and social justice. Create a culture that encourages and supports students, faculty, and staff to attend those events.
c) Assess your program/department engagement with COMO’s community leaders and population that empower and create access to an inclusive and diverse dialogue between the community and your program/department. Develop ways to engage with the community in a meaningful way.
As you create the foundation for diversity and inclusion, consider the five phases of the recruitment continuum:
This section will provide information on diversity-focused recruitment conferences. However, we would like to encourage you to consider that every interaction with an individual who has not yet earned an advanced degree is an opportunity for recruitment. Faculty should always bring prospective students information to any professional activity that puts them in contact with potential graduate students.
The following list is of suggested conferences during the calendar year. Due to Covid-19, dates are subject to change, and conferences may change their format.
In addition to conferences, consider developing a relationship with Minority Serving Institutions (MSI). We compiled a Recruitment at MSIs in and around Missouri.
We have access to a few databases to help support recruitment. Those are the National Name Exchange, the McNair Scholars Directory, and The National GEM Consortium. For the first two, you can request access to a list of names that you can reach out and cultivate potential graduate students for your program. The last one, prospective graduate students select Mizzou as one of their choices, and you can cultivate that relationship.
Read more about the databases in the Diversity & Recruitment Resources.
CIE has curated resources from other institutions that can be shared, best practices in graduate recruitment and retention.
Academic Strategic Toolkit (University of California – Berkeley)
Best Practices in Graduate Student Recruiting and Marketing (Hanover Research Report)
Best Practices for Program Websites (Rackham Graduate School – University of Michigan)
Inclusive Search and Recruitment Toolkit for Faculty, Graduate Students, and Postdoctoral Fellows (University of Texas – Austin)
North Dakota State University Recruitment Toolkit (Includes a Program PowerPoint Presentation Template at the bottom of the page)
Pathways to Science Resource Library (Resources for students applying to graduate school and for faculty interested in diversifying their student body)
University of Washington Graduate School Toolkit (see examples of handouts for recruitment)
Based on a workshop delivered by the Equity in Graduate Education Research Hub (designed based on the CDC’s trauma-informed framework) we put together the following recommendations and considerations for programs: