Purpose: The purpose of this study is to explore how US graduate students described their diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) education and engagement experiences outside their academic departments. Design/methodology/approach: This study used a critical constructivist qualitative approach and methods (i.e. interviews) to explore how 44 graduate students across various disciplines and fields at two public research institutions in the USA described their DEI education and engagement experiences outside their departments. Findings: Students identified expanded DEI and professional knowledge as key learning outcomes, while also highlighting the benefits and negative effects of the identity-centered (dis)connection, community and personal fulfillment that came from these experiences. Research limitations/implications: Given that DEI education and engagement opportunities addressed some students' needs and were unsatisfactory for others, more scholarship on the nature of these experiences is needed to better understand factors that contribute to students' desirable and undesirable outcomes. There are also practical implications for faculty who advise graduate students and administrators who are responsible for funding the campus spaces in which these experiences occurred (e.g. graduate colleges, identity-based student organizations). Originality/value: Few studies have explored graduate students' participation in DEI education and engagement opportunities outside of their academic departments. Consequently, the efficacy of these initiatives, and the extent to which students benefit from them, warrant investigation. This study, thus, adds to researchers' and practitioners' understanding of this topic by highlighting the benefits and limitations of these experiences for graduate students.