Are you a college looking to attract new students by advancing your current diversity, equity, and inclusion program?

Here’s what you need to know about what students are expecting from your DEI objectives.

DEI is important to students when deciding where to apply.

In a recent Tallo survey, 64% of students said that diversity and inclusion rank in the top 4 deciding factors, after tuition cost, degree offered, and location, while 96% indicate diversity equity and inclusion at a college or university is important to their decision when applying. When it comes to the decision to attend, 67% indicate DEI is very important in their decision-making process.

What colleges should do: directly communicate DEI programs to both current and prospective students.

DEI representation is important to students when deciding on a future education institution.

Students don’t just want to know you have DEI objectives or programs, they want to know that you can back it up, with representation. 78% said that diverse representation of students (race/ethnicity, gender, religion, age, etc.) is most important to them, with diverse representation in leadership (42%) and professors (38%) following.

And, students are doing their research on this. 71% of students indicate they research the college’s student diversity before applying while 49% indicate they research the diversity of the professors and staff before applying. From that research, 54% said they MAY NOT attend if that college didn’t represent a diverse environment. AND another 29% indicated they would decline to attend.

What colleges should do: Create equal opportunities for students while driving quality applications with a college connection tool like Tallo.

Students want resources to help them understand your college’s DE&I objectives.

Did you know that 66% of students say they don’t feel that college recruiters are extremely prepared to discuss campus diversity, equity, and inclusion? This is why students find it very important for colleges to have resources that will help them better understand its DE&I initiatives, resources, and environment. In fact, 58% of talent would be more likely to apply to a college that had recruiters and materials reflecting a diverse environment. 81% said the best way to do this is through connecting with current students, followed closely by stats of students, professors, and leadership (61%). And, where are students looking for this information? 47% say on your college website.

What colleges should do: Provide easily accessible, up-to-date, and engaging information about your DE&I initiatives to both current and prospective students.