Project Structure 

The increasing number of students attending third-level education in Ireland highlights the importance of addressing the needs and concerns of this growing population. As international research suggests that there is a marked lack of diversity at the PG level, we wanted to explore the barriers that materialise within this pipeline in an Irish context. This study aimed to explore the EDI-related factors that students perceive as barriers to their pursuing of postgraduate education in psychology at Trinity College Dublin. 

To investigate these themes, we engaged sophister-level undergraduate students with a survey (n=28) and focus groups (n=34) exploring these issues. 

Focus Group Demographics 

• Almost 90% of the participants were between the ages of 20-29, and under 10% were between 40-54. 
• 86% of the participants were women, and 53.5% were non-heterosexual. 
• 11% of the participants identified as an ethnic minority. 
• 36% had a self-declared disability. 
• 50% had some or great difficulty making ends meet during their undergraduate experience. 

Findings and quotes 

• Students expressed that the department did not supply them enough information on the application and funding process for PG programs, and they did not have the resources to feel confident in undergoing the process. 
• All groups identified finances as a barrier to applying for and pursuing PG education, highlighting major cost issues at every stage. 
  • 93% of students indicated that they were not aware of the available funding opportunities, though over half reported that they would require funding to pursue PG education. 

“[Finance] creates a ceiling of far you can go. If parents can’t support, there’s a max of how you can pursue [education].” 

• Students also felt like they lacked the experience that may be necessary for PG pathways involving clinical training. 

“You need experience for [a place on this] postgrad, and at Trinity there is no placement or opportunity for placement.” 

• While students did not explicitly reference as a barrier to PG education, it was clear they were conscious of diversity within the College. 

“Hard science seems to be [dominated by] white men.” 

Conclusions 

• The concerns and perceptions of students were largely congruent across the survey and focus groups. 
• Financial background, information availability, training resources, and perceived diversity were identified as factors affecting students’ PG motivations and intentions. 
• Students indicating a need for financial support or resources also reported a lack of knowledge regarding how to access the corresponding services. 
• Within this cohort, issues which are compounded by EDI factors are prevalent and should be addressed in order to diversify and increase accessibility to PG education. 

Accompanying Materials