Equity, Diversity & Inclusion

In its pilot year in 2021, the Pathway Guidance Program launched to support greater awareness of and preparation for graduate management education among members of underrepresented identity groups.

The trailhead is a destination where a large new pool of people in underrepresented groups can be referred to UCLA Anderson for guidance on admission criteria. It expands recruitment at Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Hispanic Serving Institutions by inviting hundreds of new contacts to steer underrepresented students to UCLA Anderson for early access to admission guidance.

UCLA Anderson’s Riordan Programs help underrepresented group members in high school, college and early phases of their professional lives learn about and prepare for success in graduate management education and related careers. Short- and long-term programs include mentorship, application advising and exposure to a basic management curriculum.

Partnering with organizations dedicated to supporting greater diversity in management and leadership helps expand the pipeline for members of underrepresented groups seeking graduate education:

• Forté Foundation
• Consortium for Graduate Study in Management
• University of California Summer Institute for Emerging Managers and Leaders
• Reaching Out MBA
• Prospanica
• National Black MBA Association
• National Society of Black Engineers
• The PhD Project

UCLA Anderson faculty, alumni and MBA students teach and mentor students in the Upkey Virtual Internship Program, a “student incubator” focused on preparing young adults — a large majority of whom are underrepresented — to secure internships, jobs and graduate education, all promoting a discrimination-free business landscape.

New recruiting events are dedicated to addressing the specific interests and needs of prospective students from underrepresented identity groups.

UCLA Anderson’s Fink Center for Finance launched its first launched its first year of hosting a summer program with Girls Who Invest, an organization aiming to see women manage 30% of the world’s investable capital by 2030. In 2020, 60 college sophomores participated.

UCLA Anderson’s Center for Management of Enterprise in Media, Entertainment & Sports (MEMES) seeks to expand its Summer Institutes partnership with HBCU Howard University to increase diversity in the sports, media and entertainment career pipeline.

UCLA Anderson’s student-led Admissions Ambassador Corps manages class visits, campus tours, admission interviews and events for prospective students. AAC has incorporated the Nobel Prize-winning science of choice architecture to ensure greater equity and inclusion in admissions processes.

A thorough review of and update to hiring processes is designed to structurally acknowledge the value of a diverse faculty and to recruit more diverse prospects.

Alumni of all UCLA undergraduate and graduate degree programs are invited to apply to the UCLA Anderson School of Management’s Fully Employed MBA through the UCLA FEMBA Bruin Bridge. Alumni who meet specific criteria are offered an exclusive opportunity to opt out of the GMAT/GRE/Executive Assessment exam requirement.

If an alum qualifies under the criteria listed below, UCLA Anderson FEMBA will not require a exam score to apply.