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11 May 2021
Opinion
11 May 2021
Opinion
The excellence and reputation of the UK higher education sector are recognised around the world. However, an attainment gap between students of different ethnicities exists at the vast majority of universities, and evidence suggests that these cannot be explained by a students’ background or prior qualifications.
This report first explains what the attainment gap looks like in UK universities, followed by a summary of feedback from students and staff to two online calls for evidence. Information gathered through these surveys helped identify five steps to success. These are:
- strong leadership
- conversations about race and culture
- racially diverse, inclusive environments
- evidence and analysis
- what works
Subsequent chapters focus on each of these steps and the barriers that are preventing the sector from successfully closing the gap. They include recommendations for tackling the barriers to success.
Case studies
Universities can work together to address the inequalities in attainment between White and Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) students by sharing evidence of what works and what doesn't. As a first step, we have created this collection of case studies for university practitioners as a guide of what some universities are already doing to remove attainment gaps and improve BAME students’ university experiences.