What are effective ways to enroll underrepresented students?

1 Identify your target groups

The first step to enroll underrepresented students is to identify who they are and what their needs, interests, and aspirations are. Underrepresented students can include those who are from low-income families, ethnic minorities, first-generation college-goers, LGBTQ+ individuals, refugees, immigrants, or people with disabilities. You can use data from your own institution, surveys, focus groups, or external sources to understand the demographics, preferences, and barriers of your target groups. This will help you tailor your outreach, communication, and support strategies to address their specific challenges and goals.

3 Offer scholarships and financial aid

The third step to enroll underrepresented students is to offer scholarships and financial aid that can reduce the financial burden and increase the accessibility of your institution. Many underrepresented students face economic challenges that prevent them from pursuing higher education or limit their choices. You can offer scholarships and financial aid based on merit, need, or other criteria that reflect your commitment to diversity and inclusion. You can also provide guidance and assistance on how to apply for and secure funding from various sources, such as grants, loans, or external scholarships.

4 Create a welcoming and supportive culture

The fourth step to enroll underrepresented students is to create a welcoming and supportive culture that values and celebrates diversity and inclusion. You can do this by ensuring that your institution's mission, vision, and values reflect your dedication to equity and social justice. You can also foster a culture of respect, belonging, and collaboration among your staff, faculty, and students by providing training, workshops, and resources on diversity and inclusion topics. Additionally, you can create and promote programs, clubs, events, and initiatives that showcase and support the diverse identities, cultures, and perspectives of your underrepresented students.

5 Provide academic and personal support

The fifth step to enroll underrepresented students is to provide academic and personal support that can help them succeed and thrive at your institution. You can do this by offering mentoring, tutoring, counseling, and advising services that can address their academic, emotional, and social needs. You can also provide orientation, transition, and retention programs that can help them adjust to and navigate the academic environment and expectations. Furthermore, you can provide career development and placement services that can help them explore and pursue their professional goals and opportunities.

6 Solicit feedback and improvement

The sixth step to enroll underrepresented students is to solicit feedback and improvement from your stakeholders and evaluate the effectiveness and impact of your strategies. You can do this by conducting surveys, interviews, or focus groups with your underrepresented students, influencers, staff, faculty, and alumni to gather their opinions, suggestions, and experiences. You can also use data and metrics to measure and analyze your enrollment, retention, graduation, and satisfaction rates among your underrepresented students. Based on the feedback and data, you can identify your strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities for improvement and make adjustments to your strategies accordingly.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?