Inclusive Recruitment Strategies for Recruiting International Graduate Students

Abstract

Graduate student recruitment is crucial in technical and professional communication programs. Though research has been done on inclusive recruitment strategies, little has been written about how gatekeeping mechanisms potentially exclude marginalized students, specifically international students, from the application process. This paper presents how institutional diversity, equity, and inclusive statements sometimes deviate from their diversity and inclusion goals due to the presence of gatekeeping admission mechanisms making the recruitment of diverse students population a hard nut to crack. The paper highlights best practices that institutions can implement/initiate to increase the recruitment of diverse students, especially international students, into their graduate programs, technical and professional programs inclusive.