Examining recruitment and retention strategies for racially and ethnically minoritized students in health service psychology doctoral programs.

Racially and ethnically minoritized students remain underrepresented in doctoral programs in health service psychology, despite efforts to increase diversity across the field. Although programs utilize strategies to support recruitment and retention, limited research has examined which strategies are most commonly used or associated with student representation. The present study analyzed self-reported diversity efforts from 18 American Psychological Association–accredited doctoral programs, based on narratives submitted as part of accreditation self-studies. Using thematic analysis, five primary recruitment strategies and seven primary retention strategies were identified, including outreach to diverse communities, fostering a supportive program climate, and integrating diversity-related training. Programs most often evaluated the effectiveness of their efforts by assessing demographic data. Exploratory quantitative analyses indicated that offering grants/fellowships, demonstrating responsiveness to diversity-related needs, and providing space for open dialogue were associated with higher representation of racially and ethnically minoritized students, though absolute numbers of minoritized students per cohort were often small. Findings offer preliminary insights into how some doctoral programs approach the recruitment and retention of minoritized students and suggest practices that may foster a more inclusive pipeline in health service psychology training.