It’s not something you would hope or even expect to read in 2017, but U.K universities are still displaying high levels of segregation, according to the Institute for Policy Research at the University of Bath.
Their research shows black and ethnic Minority (BAME) students are far more likely to attend new universities situated in very diverse areas – mainly large cities. Almost two-thirds of British-Bangladeshi students, for example, attend a small number of ultra-diverse universities in London.
In contrast, white students are, more often than not, studying at older universities where they are in the overwhelming majority. This has led to a stark disparity in the makeup of British universities – with some having a home-student population that is almost 75% BME - and others exhibiting one that is 95% white.
To make matters worse, individual courses also appear to be split along ethnic lines, particularly those relating to key professions. For example, less than 1% of the total intake for medicine and dentistry in 2014-15 were black-Caribbean. In real terms that is only 25 students. For veterinary science, the report shows that less than 50 students who started in 2014-15 came from non-white backgrounds.
The reasons for this lack of ethnic mixing are even more concerning. Researchers found that some students from multicultural parts of London chose to avoid universities in less diverse areas, for fear that they might experience discrimination or racism. Dr Michael Donnelly, who led the research, said these students were afraid of 'feeling uncomfortable”, or that “they might be stared at". Very real concerns highlight a wider problem in society – that multicultural Britain is confined to a few cities, and many BAME people still experience barriers to equality and access to the best education.
The universities themselves must do more to offset a major fault in the system which is causing it to essentially channel ethnic minority students one way and white students another. They should take action to dispel any preconceptions over which kind of students they are trying to attract, and dissuade students from feeling that certain courses are more ‘suitable’ for them than others.
It is clear that at the moment many universities are not fulfilling their function of providing melting pots for students with diverse backgrounds. This will have a knock-on effect on the makeup of the future professionals, particularly medics, who ought to accurately represent the people they treat.
If we are to avoid a regression in social mobility, we need a solution... fast.
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This article originally appeared on The Debrief.