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.
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 formally adopted the working definition of Islamophobia, incorporated into its Bullying and Harassment Policy.
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.
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 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 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.
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 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.
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.
