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Black and minority ethnicity (BAME) students have historically faced more barriers to education in the UK than their white peers. However, in 2021/22, Black students had higher progression to uni than white students, with 63.5% of Black students progressing to higher education by age 19, compared to 41.8% of white students (statistics from gov.uk).
Despite these statistics, white and Black students are still approximately equally likely to progress to a high-tariff higher education, with 13.3% of Black students and 12.3% of white students progressing (gov.uk, data from 2021/22).
History of Black students in UK higher education
Black students have been graduating from UK universities for over 150 years, so there’s been plenty of time for the higher education sector to work on widening access. Christian Frederick Cole was assumed to be the first Black student to graduate from Oxford. Unfortunately, we can’t be sure as Oxford didn’t actually make records of the race of its students in the 1870s, so it’s possible there were other Black students before Cole. There’s also debate over the first Black students at Cambridge. Two of the possible candidates are George Bridgetower, a virtuoso violinist, and Alexander Crummell, who was the first Black Cambridge student to have a full university record.
In the modern day, famous Black Brits who’ve graduated and gone on to great achievements include David Lammy (who studied at SOAS and went on to become the first Black Brit to attend Harvard Law School), Diane Abbott (who graduated from Cambridge and became the UK’s first Black female MP) and Professor Stuart Hall (an Oxford alumnus who became an incredibly important cultural theorist).
What barriers still exist for Black students today?
Even today, Black students face more challenges in getting into and studying at high-tariff universities, with only one in six Black university students at high-tariff universities compared to one in four white students. This may be partially due to a lower rate of Black students in private schools, but unfortunately data isn’t available on the ethnic makeup of independent schools beyond the rate of white British pupils, which is broadly in-line with the make-up of the population (ISC 2022). Regardless of the reason, a lack of representation for Black students in high-tariff universities creates a cycle where prospective Black students don’t see themselves represented in prospectuses or on campus at open days, and don’t feel confident in applying.
As well as an ongoing lack of representation, Black students are more likely to face financial difficulties with 54% of Black households earning under £600 a week in the three years leading to March 2021, compared to a national average of 45% (gov.uk). Partly as a result of this, Black students are also more likely to be the first generation in their family to attend university, which can seem daunting.
Once at university, Black students may not feel as though they’re represented on their course. Many course reading lists are lacking in diversity of authors and many modules are also designed without input from BAME academics, leading to modules that don’t represent concerns and interests of students of colour.
Another issue Black students may face at university today is having their voices heard. It can be tricky at the best of times to get those in positions of power at the university to listen to issues that groups of students are having, and Black students may not feel comfortable using traditional channels created without race in mind.
How are unis overcoming these barriers?
Fortunately, universities are working on reducing and removing these various barriers to education. Many universities offer scholarships or bursaries specifically for BAME students, which encourages more applications and acceptances of offers. Scholarships and bursaries can help to reduce the financial burden on students, making uni more attainable for low-income students and breaking the cycle of lack of representation.
The phrase ‘decolonise the curriculum’ may be one you’re familiar with, as it’s become quite widespread. Students and academics are coming together to demand universities approve more diverse reading lists and build modules with BAME students in mind. This helps to create more inclusive modules as well as offering students different points of view that they may otherwise not have been exposed to during their studies.
Another common way universities are removing barriers is by appointing BAME or diversity officers to their student union representatives. Having a dedicated channel for BAME or students from other minority groups to voice any issues they may come across during their studies offers a simplified and accessible procedure and makes sure that these issues aren’t overshadowed.
How can you make your voice heard as a Black student at uni?
If you’re a Black university student, you might want to make your voice heard. You might want to share ideas for improved diversity at your uni, or you might want to have the opportunity to celebrate your achievements or leave your mark on the uni. Fortunately, there’s lots of opportunities to do this.
Your university will probably have societies related to diversity and inclusion that you can join to demonstrate to the governing body of the uni that this is a cause students are passionate about. You could also join media societies and write articles or host a radio show about your university experiences and achievements.
It’s also really important to know who your student reps are and reach out to them if you’ve got any concerns or suggestions about the uni. They’ll be able to escalate any issues you come across and provide support and resources for dealing with any concerns.
As well as joining these societies and staying in contact with your student reps, you can take it a step further by taking on a leadership role if you want to. You could even start your own society if you feel there’s a gap that current societies aren’t filling. Usually, the student union reps are graduates who take on roles on a paid, full-time basis the year after they graduate. You could apply for one of these roles in your final year, and if you’re successful not only will you be able to advocate for other students, but you’ll have employment sorted for a year!
How can you support your BAME friends?
If you’re not a BAME student, you’ve still got an important role to play in making university accessible to all. Do your research on the barriers faced by your BAME friends (you’ve made a good start on this bit by reading this article!) and make sure you speak up when you see them go unchallenged. If your reading lists aren’t diverse, ask the module convenor why this is, and ask if the reading list could be updated to reflect different points of view.
As well as thinking about how your BAME friends might be represented on your course, think about the wider uni environment. If your uni doesn’t have BAME representation on their student boards, challenge this. You could write an open letter asking for better BAME representation and ask other students and even academics to sign it.
The most important thing to do is to listen to your BAME friends. If they tell you they’re experiencing discrimination, ask if you can support them in making a complaint or resolving the problem.
Do your research on barriers your BAME friends face and speak up when you see them. Challenge your uni if they don’t have BAME student representation, don’t update reading lists, etc.
Overall, the experience Black students have at uni has improved vastly over the last few years thanks to the ‘decolonise the curriculum’ movement and pressure put on universities to increase BAME representation at the university and on their student representative panels. Thanks to an increase in scholarships available to Black students as well, barriers to accessing university are being broken down.
While there’s still a way to go, there’s more support than ever, so if you’re a Black student thinking that university isn’t attainable for you, maybe do some research into unis that are able to offer financial support (there’s a lot of them now) and reach out directly to finance and admissions teams to make sure you’re getting all the information on support that’s available. In future, we hope that all universities will ensure they’re catering to all their students and that we’ll see more equality in progression rates thanks to improved support.
Data from gov.uk (1) (2), ISC.
