Wednesday, 01 February 2023
BAME and less affluent students, as well as those who have not attended private school, often find themselves positioned as second- or third-class citizens within university institutions, a new study has revealed.
The results were published today by Martin Myers, Assistant Professor and Sociologist in the School of Education at the University of Nottingham, and Kalwant Bhopal, Professor of Education and Social Justice and Director of the Centre for Research on Race and Education at the University of Birmingham.
Based on interviews with students at four ‘elite universities’ in the UK and US, the research provides evidence that access to these institutions is managed through gatekeeping systems and processes that legitimise race and class inequalities.
Dr Myers said: “Elite universities are maintaining the status of privileged groups while maintaining a carefully curated visage of meritocracy. The elite status and branding of these institutions serve both the interests of Western dominance in the global higher education sector and the local interests of a privileged elite.
Universities at this level are often incredibly unwelcoming for those outside of the traditionally accepted social circle, and further ingrain race and class discrimination.
The study argues that ‘elite universities’ systematically define hierarchies of privilege, whereby students are positioned by a range of prior experiences that are unrelated to their academic ability – such as class, ethnicity and mobility.
“Students who haven’t progressed along the ‘elite’ pathways of private schools and familial connections communicated similar experiences of feeling they don’t belong in comparison to their wealthier, white counterparts.
Professor Bhopal continued: “This almost universal experience is characterised by a lack of capital necessary to thrive in the elite university environment, not just financial, but social and cultural capital as well. This makes it incredibly difficult for students who have not been traditionally accepted into these ‘elite’ spaces to navigate life at university.”
To find out more about Elite Universities and the Making of Privilege: Exploring Race and Class in Global Educational Economies, please visit: www.routledge.com/Elite-Universities-and-the-Making-of-Privilege-Exploring-Race-and-Class/Bhopal-Myers/p/book/9780367466077
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More information is available from Dr Martin Myers in the School of Education at the University of Nottingham at M.Myers@nottingham.ac.uk or; Katie Andrews in the Press Office at the University of Nottingham at Katie.Andrews@nottingham.ac.uk or on 0115 9515751.
University of Birmingham press contact:
For more information please contact Ellie Hail, Communications Officer, University of Birmingham at e.hail@bham.ac.uk or on +44(0)7966 311 409 alternatively, contact the Press Office out of hours on +44 (0)7789 921165.
About the University of Birmingham
The University of Birmingham is ranked amongst the world’s top 100 institutions. Its work brings people from across the world to Birmingham, including researchers, teachers and more than 8,000 international students from over 150 countries.
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About the University of Nottingham
Ranked 32 in Europe and 16th in the UK by the QS World University Rankings: Europe 2024, the University of Nottingham is a founding member of the Russell Group of research-intensive universities. Studying at the University of Nottingham is a life-changing experience, and we pride ourselves on unlocking the potential of our students. We have a pioneering spirit, expressed in the vision of our founder Sir Jesse Boot, which has seen us lead the way in establishing campuses in China and Malaysia - part of a globally connected network of education, research and industrial engagement.
Nottingham was crowned Sports University of the Year by The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024 – the third time it has been given the honour since 2018 – and by the Daily Mail University Guide 2024.
The university is among the best universities in the UK for the strength of our research, positioned seventh for research power in the UK according to REF 2021. The birthplace of discoveries such as MRI and ibuprofen, our innovations transform lives and tackle global problems such as sustainable food supplies, ending modern slavery, developing greener transport, and reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
The university is a major employer and industry partner - locally and globally - and our graduates are the second most targeted by the UK's top employers, according to The Graduate Market in 2022 report by High Fliers Research.
We lead the Universities for Nottingham initiative, in partnership with Nottingham Trent University, a pioneering collaboration between the city’s two world-class institutions to improve levels of prosperity, opportunity, sustainability, health and wellbeing for residents in the city and region we are proud to call home.
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