Examining Latinos/as’ Graduate School Choice Process

Abstract

Based on in-depth qualitative interviews, this study examined the factors that influenced Latino/a students’ decision to matriculate at a particular doctoral institution. Findings reveal that Latinos/as are influenced by several factors in their selection of a doctoral program, including location (proximity to home), faculty influences, financial considerations, campus climate concerns, and circumscribed choices. Guided by multiracial feminist theory, this study illustrates that Latinos/as’ graduate school choice process is mediated by race, class, and gender inequalities.