Affirmative Action?

[hwrios]

Hello.  This is kind of a touchy subject, but does anyone know how much schools practice affirmative action?   I know some schools I looked at post things about it on their website, but I don't know how much it is currently being practiced.  And what do they do?  Are they trying to make their campus reflect the population of America, or are they trying to get more "minorities" than in the general population?  

 

[lady rainicorn]

It probably depends on the school, their registration policies, the department, and what the applicant pool looks like. So I don't know that there is an easy answer to that question or an easy analysis of admissions statistics (unless you can find them broken out by department, which you should be able to for schools if you contact the registrar).

I imagine though that race doesn't factor in heavily with graduate school admissions, as so much of the decisions are based on the artwork presented and how the admissions committee wants to "craft" their incoming graduate class dynamic. However I do believe that they also don't want to bring in, by accident, an entire class of just one race.

However I do think that minority status could play a larger role in determining scholarships and financial aid. For instance I know that RISD's presidential scholarships specifically target those who are underrepresented in the field. According to RISD's website, "Highest priority for this award is given to African Americans, Asian Americans, Hispanic Americans, Native Americans and other candidates who are significantly underrepresented in academic and professional fields, as an incentive to make a commitment to careers as artists, designers or educators."

[losemygrip]

It probably depends on the school, their registration policies, the department, and what the applicant pool looks like. So I don't know that there is an easy answer to that question or an easy analysis of admissions statistics (unless you can find them broken out by department, which you should be able to for schools if you contact the registrar).

I imagine though that race doesn't factor in heavily with graduate school admissions, as so much of the decisions are based on the artwork presented and how the admissions committee wants to "craft" their incoming graduate class dynamic. However I do believe that they also don't want to bring in, by accident, an entire class of just one race.

However I do think that minority status could play a larger role in determining scholarships and financial aid. For instance I know that RISD's presidential scholarships specifically target those who are underrepresented in the field. According to RISD's website, "Highest priority for this award is given to African Americans, Asian Americans, Hispanic Americans, Native Americans and other candidates who are significantly underrepresented in academic and professional fields, as an incentive to make a commitment to careers as artists, designers or educators."

 

An excellent and accurate response based on my own experience.