Aston University
Aston University, in the heart of Birmingham, is well placed to increase access to postgraduate study for British Muslims from low-income backgrounds. Aston is part of a consortia of institutions leading on the Office for Students (OfS) funded 'Levelling the Playing Field' initiative, designed to increase take up of placements amongst disadvantaged communities.
It has incorporated the APPG on British Muslim's definition of Islamophobia into its Bullying and Harassment Policy.
City University of London
City, University of London, fully acknowledges the underrepresentation of Muslims in journalism and the media industry, and is determined to provide opportunities to increase the social capital of these communities and, more widely, support BME cohorts.
Coventry University
The Centre for Trust, Peace and Social Relation's (CTPSR) research has led the way in uncovering the experiences of British Muslims and the history of Islam in Britain. CTPSR’s researchers have made significant contributions to the development of the working definition of Islamophobia, have examined the implications of the Prevent duty on educational institutions, and proposed ways to better tackle religious-based hate crime on university campuses.
Goldsmiths University
BME learners make up almost half of Goldsmiths’ student population, and the university is determined to prioritise measures to remove the financial barriers they face. The Racial Justice Goldsmiths programme has been established to advance racial equality, committing key resources to build a truly inclusive learning environment.
Furthermore, Goldsmiths Careers Service has launched a career-focused mentoring programme for the BME student community.
King's College London
King’s joined the Race Equality Charter in 2017 and was awarded a second Bronze Charter Mark in November 2020. As part of its action plan, the university has dedicated itself to eradicating all forms of learner inequality, with a commitment to close the awarding gap between white and BME students by 2024/25.
Furthermore, King’s College London encourages all staff to undertake ‘Diversity Matters’ training to ensure the minimisation of conscious and unconscious bias.
Kingston University London
Kingston is pioneering a granular approach to tackling the awarding gap, looking down at the course level in order to assess which institutional factors need to be addressed.
The institution’s Inclusive Curriculum Framework enables it to draw staff and students into a dialogue around continuous improvement of the curriculum. Moreover, students from non-traditional backgrounds are employed as Inclusive Curriculum consultants.
London South Bank University
LSBU has been running its 'No Barriers to Brilliance' philanthropic campaign since 2019. It seeks to address the pressing need of students and communities on campus through its bursaries and targeted financial support. This includes 10 scholarships with the Lawrence Burrow Educational Trust Fund and bursaries exclusively for care givers. This is an important intervention, as 63% of its student population are from deprived neighbourhoods and 46% from BME backgrounds.
SOAS University of London
SOAS has a diverse student body and is committed towards becoming sector leaders in eliminating its existing attainment gap. Its degree awarding gap is much smaller than the sector average, and its intention is to further accelerate its reduction. It has set the ambitious target in its Access and Participation Plan (APP) of eliminating its degree awarding gap by 2025, which would make it one of the quickest to do so in the sector.
The University of Law
The University of Law has embedded a range of initiatives aimed at supporting the BAME community on campus. It's BAME advocates are driven to empower minoritised students and work closely alongside academic staff to eliminate the awarding gap.
The iBelong club convenes monthly, platforming guest speakers from non-traditional backgrounds, providing advice and inspiring students.
University of Birmingham
The University of Birmingham is a leader in the area of Widening Participation at the postgraduate level. It is also one the largest recruiters of UK postgraduate taught students in the Russell Group.
Intent on building on the successes of its postgraduate schemes A2B and the Postgraduate Support Scheme (PSS) funded by HEFCE, the university is determined to further reduce its degree awarding gap, which is already far below the sector average.
University of Essex
The University is part of Advance HE’s collaborative project “Towards Embedding Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in the Curriculum”, with a particular focus on race and ethnicity. Alongside this, the Curriculum University of Essex (CUE) project has been established to support BAME student success at the institution.
In respect to communities of faith, the University’s Code of Practice concerning Religion and Belief commits it to providing mandatory faith provision on campus.
University of Exeter
The University of Exeter is committed to widening participation, beginning with outreach to pupils at school, engaging in national forums on the issue of access of underrepresented communities to postgraduate study, and setting up relevant working groups to address the needs of these communities.
The University seeks to nurture an inclusive environment through appropriate consultations, race and religion sub-groups, staff trainings, accommodation of religious lifestyle choices, and the funding of projects led by cultural societies.
University of Hertfordshire
The University of Hertfordshire is one few institutions to currently hold a Race Equality Charter Mark, which attests to its commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion.
The institution's BME advocacy scheme is lauded within the sector, having been awarded a Collaborative Award for Teaching Excellent from Advance HE.
University of Salford Manchester
The University of Salford has a diverse student population and is dedicated to closing the BME awarding gap, having made great strides already.
The University's multifaith centre caters not only to its large Muslim student population, but also to the local population.
The University of Sheffield
The University of Sheffield is dedicated to widening participation and ensuring better representation within the university. In early 2019, the University launched its Race Equality Strategy and Action Plan, developed in collaboration with the Students’ Union, with the first objective being to reduce this attainment gap between BAME and White students at the University to zero. Through its Postgraduate Scholarship programme, the university also provides over 100 awards per year worth £10,000 each for home fee students.
University of St Andrews
St Andrews is committed to diversity as a pillar of its institutional strategy, highlighting its centrality to all University activities and developments. It seeks to address the experience of people from BME communities at all levels of the institution and encourage projects with intersectionality at their heart.
It has an existing collaboration with the Robertson Trust to widen access in Scotland.
University of Sussex
The University of Sussex is piloting a BAME Student Ambassador’s programme, which will act as a means to support BAME students, increase awareness on the measures needed to tackle the degree awarding gap, and promote understanding of the diversity of BAME communities.
There is also a Muslim Student Centre on campus, to nurture an atmosphere welcoming to Muslim students.
University of Warwick
The University of Warwick is determined to promote inclusion, diversity and internationalisation in order to drive social mobility.
It has a proven commitment to Widening Participation and is supporting students from school-age, throughout their undergraduate studies, and beyond.
University of Westminster
The University of Westminster is committed to address the awarding gap among BME students, develop cultural competency among staff and students, and eliminate any forms of discrimination.
The University is making active steps towards the implementation of the 15 key commitments published in June 2020 through its Equality Diversity and Inclusion Committee.
University of York
The University of York is committed to normalising conversations about race, improving BME staff representation, and diversifying its curricula.
It has collaborated on initiatives - such as the Postgraduate Support Scheme (PSS) funded by HEFCE - to widen access to postgraduate studies to students from underrepresented and disadvantaged communities.
