2025/06/09 by Ellie Mercedes Ross, Laramie D. Taylor, Richard Huskey · 1 voice
Medicine · Social Sciences · Psychology · #Medical Education and Admissions #Diversity and Career in Medicine #Communication in Education and Healthcare
paper · pdf · doi:10.1080/10646175.2025.2515852
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Communication PhD programs reconsidered the use of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) amid concerns about structural inequities in graduate admissions. We examined whether GRE requirements, particularly minimum score thresholds, may contribute to filtering, a mechanism by which standardized criteria disproportionately disadvantage some racial and ethnic groups. We conducted a content analysis of all U.S. Communication PhD program admissions policies for 2021–2022 and surveyed graduate program chairs. In addition, we assessed other potential barriers to access, such as application costs and required application materials. While a minority of programs required the GRE, some imposed thresholds exceeding average scores for several underrepresented groups. These findings suggest that current admissions criteria may unintentionally reinforce racial and ethnic disparities.