How to Attract and Inspire Underrepresented Students

Higher ed leaders looking to not only expand their underrepresented student population to include diverse communities but to ensure they succeed can actually replicate a comprehensive program from the University of Cambridge’s Lucy Cavendish College in the UK. Part of the larger Cambridge system that once depended largely on legacy admissions from private schools for decades, Lucy Cavendish now admits 90% of its freshmen class from 180 public high schools across the country. In this podcast, Drumm McNaughton draws from his knowledge of U.S. colleges and universities to learn about key processes and procedures from Lucy Cavendish College president Madeleine Atkins that can be emulated here in the States. Dr. Atkins discusses how the college identifies students who wouldn’t normally attend Lucy Cavendish, drives these students’ academic achievement and academic attainment, helps potential freshmen apply at top universities and prepare for mandatory entrance tests, and enrolls them in specialized orientation programs and more robust versions of the U.S.’s affinity groups that strengthen these students’ sense of belonging. Free access.

Year Resource Released
2023

American Institutes for Research

U.S. Department of Education

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