Diversity and Student Success
The Graduate School broadly defines diversity. This definition includes but is not limited to graduate and professional students who are racially/ethnically diverse, first-generation, international, LGBTQIA+, or are military-affiliated.
Diversity Mission:
Diverse experiences, backgrounds, viewpoints, and contributions are key elements for the success of any enterprise. The Graduate School at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is committed to sustaining a diverse graduate student body and fostering a climate of inclusion and acceptance. We aim to contribute to the successful degree completion of each student through targeted academic and professional development programs.
Diversity Recruitment:
The Graduate School is committed to a diverse graduate study body and through DSS, is involved in broad recruitment efforts. We welcome the opportunity to work with programs/departments/schools with the efforts below as well as in strategizing their recruitment endeavors. Visit our Diverse Student Travel Recruitment page to learn more about the nomination process and application system.
“I cannot imagine completing my doctoral program without the support, community, and resources I received from Diversity and Student Success. Their programs have been vital for me as I successfully applied for fellowships and grants and as I tackled the milestones needed to finish my degree. I am forever grateful for DSS.” —Brionca Taylor; Ph.D. candidate; Department of Sociology
Featured video: Initiative for Minority Excellence
The Initiative for Minority Excellence focuses on the retention and the successful graduation of our racially/ethnically diverse graduate students.
Upcoming Events
Recent Highlights
Surviving and Thriving digital exhibit
Throughout the fall semester, The Graduate School’s Diversity and Student Success program hosted several pop-up exhibits in departments and units to explore anonymous stories from graduate students of color through interactive storyboards. Now the pop-up exhibit is available in a digital format.
Identity and experience—from the military to a master’s degree
One of graduate student Dailihana Alfonseca’s only memories with her father include the feeling of how small her hands felt in his. As a young girl in Puerto Rico, her father’s murder decades ago—fraught with complexities of drug and identity … Continued
“Women who looked like me”—The Graduate School’s Ronice Johnson-Guy
Ronice Johnson-Guy, a first-generation undergraduate and graduate student, recently joined The Graduate School’s Diversity and Student Success program.
Marking Latinx Heritage Month among graduate and professional students at UNC-Chapel Hill
As a high school student, Ana Gutierrez Ramirez wanted to attend the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, but immigration policies prevented her from leaving Texas, where her family relocated after leaving her native Venezuela. Now, Gutierrez Ramirez is pursuing her … Continued