The population of California continues to become more diverse; it has become increasingly important for California universities to provide graduate education to underrepresented groups and to prepare culturally competent health educators whose skills are adapted to these dynamic demographic changes. This paper describes the graduate admissions requirements of the four California-based graduate programs in Community Health Education (CHE) accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH ) and uses the graduate admissions process at San Jose State University as a case example for selecting a cohort that reflects the cultural and linguistic diversity of the state. The use of multiple methods of assessment and the avoidance of undue emphasis on standardized tests in the admissions selection creates a more equitable graduate admissions process.