An Intervention Strategy Addressing Implicit Bias in Scholarships

Abstract

White students receive a disproportionate amount of private scholarships compared to their Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) peers (Kantrowitz, 2011). Scholarships provide important financial support for higher education and BIPOC students are more likely to graduate with loan debt compared to their White peers (Mishory et al., 2019). This loan debt is higher on average for BIPOC students compared to White students (Mishory et al., 2019). Scholarships could provide funding to reduce loan debt. In considering administrators who are involved in selection processes such as scholarship awarding, their implicit bias can impact judgment (Capers et al., 2017). I have sought to lessen the potential impact of implicit bias on scholarship administration through a low-cost and adaptable intervention strategy which is being piloted at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The intervention includes a website, holistic training modules, campus communications and an annual meeting.