Diversity, equity and inclusion are critical to the success of our students and are embedded in our culture – from how we support all of our students, including those impacted by racism and its intersections*, to how we partner as colleagues, researchers and community members.
To foster a supportive, accessible and welcoming environment for all students, the Office of Equity and Justice (OEJ) provides faculty and staff with helpful tools to create an inclusive community, culture and curriculum, including:
Holistic admissions review refers to practices that promote an inclusive and rigorous graduate application review process that evaluates applicants through a variety of methods, rather than prioritizing GPA, standardized test scores such as GRE scores, or former school of attendance.
Providing graduate students impacted by racism and its intersections* with advisors who will mentor and encourage opportunities for social and intellectual engagement creates a sense of belonging and increases retention for students. Many graduate students impacted by racism and its intersections* may be hesitant to seek assistance or may not easily network with their peers.
In addition to a strong financial package, guidance and a sense of inclusion help graduate students impacted by racism and its intersections* successfully complete their degrees and graduate in a timely manner. To connect graduate students impacted by racism and its intersections* with continued funding and/or fellowship opportunities and resources, please review the Graduate Funding Information Service (GFIS) and Graduate Student Funding Resources.
Equity Focus Office Hours are a series of events hosted by the Office of Equity and Justice (OEJ) and The Office of Graduate Student Equity and Excellence (GSEE). The series features current topics that impact historically underrepresented graduate students and is designed to support faculty/staff invested in the success of all University of Washington graduate students. The series often hosts campus partners and guest speakers committed to moving beyond theory and performative action to changemaking. The series included topics ranging from cross-racial mentorship to hosting affinity groups to engaging in difficult dialogues.
For the 2023-2024 academic year we will be pausing Equity Focused Office Hours to shift our focus on developing The Equity Advancement Tool, which will be introduced at the 4th Annual Equity in Graduate Education Summit on April 3, 2024. Following the lifecycle of the graduate student – from pre-recruitment, through building the recruitment pipeline, application/admissions, retention, graduation, and post-graduation pipelines—our assessment tool guides graduate units on how to evaluate policies and practices; the tool will provide resources for how to make each stage more equitable.
Please reach out to us at gradoej@uw.edu, if you have any questions for our team.
The Graduate School’s annual tri-campus summit is a partnership with equity-focused, graduate student facing units across the UW. The summit guides faculty, staff, graduate students, and campus leaders to not simply observe or feel bad about inequalities in graduate education, but to learn the tools to change those inequalities.
The Holistic support series, hosted in collaboration with Graduate Student Affairs, offers quarterly programs designed to attend to the most pressing issues impacting our graduate students. In the fall, we host a session connected to holistic admissions, in the winter we host a session on mental health support, and in the spring we host a session on mentorship.
The Graduate Equity Progress (EP) Tool, designed to assist units/departments in pinpointing strengths as well as areas for growth in efforts to create a just, diverse, and inclusive environment for students at every stage of their graduate career from pre-recruitment to post graduation. Review our factsheet to learn more about the tool.
Following the completion of the tool, we strongly recommend exploring our dedicated resource page, which offers comprehensive materials corresponding to each section of the tool.
GSEE: The Office of Graduate Student Equity and Excellence
2023 Supreme Court Ruling on Race and Admissions
Following the 2023 Supreme Court case Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA) vs. Harvard University and SFFA vs. University of North Carolina, we share key takeaways from the UW Attorney General’s Office’s guidance with regards to admission, recruiting and funding.
*Intersections include sexism, homophobia, ableism, Islamophobia, antisemitism and other forms of discrimination. All are welcome at all graduate school events.