Demographic & Other Characteristics

As part of our program evaluation plan, we assess demographic information for applicants, admitted students, and graduates. We assess this information using admissions application data and Exit Survey data (which all graduating students are asked to complete during their final term before graduation). 

Applicants 

Over the last five years, the proportion of applicants identifying as BIPOC has remained stable of around 30% (29.6% in 2022). This is true despite a nearly 30% increase in yearly applicants over the same timeframe. The number of international applicants we have received over this timeframe ranges from 11 in 2020 (3.1% of all applicants) to 5 in 2021 (1.1% of all applicants). Based on these data, we have determined the following action steps:

• Look for ways to expand admissions outreach opportunities for BIPOC applicants to create a broader applicant pool. 

• Look for ways to expand admissions outreach opportunities for international applicants to create a broader applicant pool. 

Students

We are pleased to report that the percentage of admitted students identifying as BIPOC has increased year-over-year over the last four years, with 26.9% in the 2019 cohort, 46% in the 2020 cohort, 53% in the 2021 cohort, and 37.5% in the upcoming 2022 cohort. It is interesting to note that, in 2018 and 2019, the proportion of admitted students identifying as BIPOC was slightly lower than the proportion of applicants identifying as BIPOC, but in the three year period from 2020 to 2022, the proportion of admitted BIPOC students was substantially higher than the proportion of BIPOC applicants. We noticed a small number of admitted international students, with only four total admitted students during this timeframe. As such, we determined the following action step:

• Look for ways to expand admissions outreach to international students to create a broader applicant pool. 

• Review our admissions criteria to better understand any potential barriers international students are experiencing contributing to the disparity in international applicants compared to admitted international students. 

Graduates

In Fall 2021, we reviewed the Exit Survey data for graduating students from the cohort admitted in 2017. Of the respondents to the demographic questions in the survey, 29.5% identified as BIPOC, 48.5% identified as LGBTQ+, and 56.5% identified as having a disability. Respondents predominately identified as female (77.5%), though 9.6% identified as transgender or gender non-binary. We should note that not all graduating students completed the Exit Survey, though the response rate was approximately 80% of all graduating students. Furthermore, not everyone who completed the survey answered all of the demographic questions. Our primary action item based on this data is to improve the response rate to 100%. To do this, we are planning to have all exit surveys completed during internship class sessions. Currently, the practice of collecting Exit Survey data varies by program, so systematizing this process by collecting during internship will be a way of capturing all graduating students.