Setting the bar: simulating the effect of admission instruments on student cohorts’ diversity

To educate students to help tackle grand societal challenges, having a diverse student population is important. This study investigates varying admission thresholds’ effect on student populations’ diversity in university master’s programs, specifically with regards to disciplinary, geographical and sex/gender diversity. Utilising admission data from 1307 students across 11 programs in a multidisciplinary faculty, this study simulates the impact of changes in admission criteria–namely prior grades, cognitive relatedness between bachelor’s and master’s programs and application essay content–on 66 program cohorts’ diversity. Our findings demonstrate that higher admission thresholds exert limited effects on diversity, although grades can increase disciplinary and geographical diversity. We conclude that increasing thresholds should not be pursued solely to enhance diversity. The primary objective of admissions is to select students capable of completing a program, and raising thresholds may exclude potential talent who can play a crucial role in addressing societal challenges.