Empowering Innovation through Graduate Diversity

As the highest-ranked public university, UC Berkeley is a place where the brightest minds come together for transformational change. It provides a model for universities nation-wide in spearheading initiatives that address society’s needs in an evolving landscape. Graduate students play a critical role in advancing the university’s public mission by providing long-term societal benefits through innovative, cutting-edge research and discovering new knowledge.

To fulfill that mission, we strive to create the conditions to ensure that graduate students from all backgrounds, especially those from historically underrepresented minorities (URM), have access to Berkeley, feel welcome and are empowered to do their best work. It’s been proven that unexpected innovation comes from a diversity of minds that catalyze new thinking.

Our efforts in changing the status quo for graduate students with robust support programs while growing a more diverse cohort of students are making a difference. Application and acceptance numbers are rising year after year — in 2021, while overall graduate applications increased 19 percent when compared to the previous year, the number of underrepresented minority (URM) doctoral applicants increased by 42 percent and URM applicants to academic master’s programs increased by 82 percent.

While these application numbers are extremely exciting to see, our job to provide an environment where these students can thrive is not done. 

Please join us virtually on May 4th at 6PM PT to hear from students and campus leadership about a number of recent and upcoming initiatives fostering innovation in our graduate student community, from ambitious funding endeavors, to programs that are encouraging and rewarding graduate student-led change, and strengthening peer support.