Diversity Recruitment Initiatives

UChicagoGRAD is dedicated to contributing to a supportive and inclusive environment for all community members. We believe that intellectual and demographic diversity are the keys to innovative research and development. Through campus initiatives and partnerships, we strive to provide women, first-generation, immigrant, lower income, and underrepresented students with the resources to succeed on campus and beyond.

If you want to learn more about diversity recruitment at the University of Chicago, please contact Joseph Butler, Diversity Outreach Coordinator.

In order to increase the enrollment of students from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds to pursue master’s and doctoral degrees at the University, UChicagoGRAD supports divisional and departmental recruitment efforts through the following initiatives:

• Collaboration with Summer Research programs that provide underrepresented undergraduate students with opportunities to develop research skills, work closely with faculty members, and position themselves to be competitive graduate school applicants.
• Organizes Discover UChicago, an expenses-paid, pre-admissions program that provides prospective graduate students with the opportunity to visit campus, meet with faculty members, and attend workshops intended to prepare them to apply to graduate school.
• Travels to recruitment fairs across the country & hosts campus information sessions to connect with prospective students interested in attending the University of Chicago.
• Participates in a number of national partnerships:
  • Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students (ABRCMS)
  • Institute for the Recruitment of Teachers (IRT)
  • Leadership Alliance
  • Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP)
  • The National GEM Consortium
  • The National Name Exchange (NNE)
  • Society for the Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS)

The University of Chicago’s diverse community provides the varying voices and perspectives essential to our mission of pursuing new knowledge. The backgrounds of our students, faculty, staff, and alumni enrich our culture. The following offices provide student resources that help to foster diversity on campus:

• The Bias Education Response Team (BEST) consist of administrators who are available to support and guide students seeking assistance in determining how to handle a bias incident.
• Student Disability Services facilitates the full participation of students with a disability and works to remove physical and attitudinal barriers, which may prevent their full participation in the University community.
• Spiritual Life Office connects students of every faith to resources on campus and in the community at large, including student groups, places of worship, and events.
• Student Wellness addresses the mental health needs of all students, including graduate students of color. University psychologists and professional staff routinely conduct workshops on implicit bias and host therapy groups for graduate student wellness.