Recruitment for graduate studies in Canada is changing due to evolving labour market opportunities, new government policies, changing study expectations, and an increasingly challenging funding context for graduate education. Programs throughout Canada are facing the necessary reality that past recruitment practices may no longer be serving current needs. This panel will explore and share innovative strategies to enhance domestic and international recruitment across graduate programs and institutions.

Panelists from four institutions will address the following focal aspects of recruitment, drawing on novel practices that are boosting student applications, domestically and internationally.

• Domestic recruitment strategies: Recruitment of domestic students poses unique challenges due to current labour market opportunities and the funding environment in Canada. Panelists will describe specific programs and strategies aimed at recruiting domestic students including, for example, ‘pipeline programs’ that encourage students to move from undergraduate to graduate studies or from non-credit to credit-based programs.
• Access and diversity: Recruitment for international students and diverse domestic students remains an area of focus for many Canadian institutions. Panelists will share practices that have increased accessibility for and diversity of applicants including dedicated admission supports, designated entrance funding opportunities, mentorship programs, and community-embedded recruitment activities.
• Language and aptitude testing requirements: In recognition of the inaccessibility and inequities associated with language and aptitude tests, several institutions across North America have explored alternatives to historically accepted test requirements (e.g., IELTS, TESOL, GRE, GMAT). Panelists will share alternatives used at their institutions to enable accessible selection of candidates whose first language is not English and in programs that have historically used aptitude testing.
• Connection and belonging: One of the most powerful recruitment strategies is cultivating a sense of belonging during the recruitment process. Panelists will describe approaches to fostering connection with prospective students throughout the recruitment cycle, including university-wide platforms to connect applicant with existing students to engage in conversation.
• Innovative Marketing and Recruitment: Technology is changing the way universities can recruit students. Panelists will illuminate how universities are using a variety of new platforms/software to reach prospective applicants including Client Relationship Management (CRM) platforms.