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The plight of BAME students at Oxbridge: What role will Brexit play?

FUTURE: Cambridge University

OXBRIDGE IS synonymous with white privilege; the alma matters of the ruling classes and political elites. These associations alone are enough to deter students from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) backgrounds from applying, as they reinforce the idea that such institutions are exclusive clubs for privately-educated white people.

In order to combat this stereotype, both Oxford and Cambridge claim that considerable efforts are being made to become more inclusive. However, if this is true, their efforts have failed to translate into meaningful results.

Brexit will present a number of issues for BAME students. Leaving the EU will result in extensive spending cuts, the main victims of which will be the BAME community. Additionally, there has been a major spike in racially-aggravated hate crimes in the wake of Brexit, resulting in a culture of hostility and discrimination.

DISADVANTAGE

The numbers are a testament to the extent of mono-ethnicity at Oxbridge. Statistics released by UCAS reveal that, in 2016, Oxford accepted 2,180 white students, whereas only 35 of those admitted were black. Cambridge’s admissions were almost just as skewed- with 2,025 white students gaining a place in comparison with 40 black students.

A recent UN report revealed that Brexit-induced spending cuts will hit the BAME community the hardest, leading to black households losing twice as much income as white households. BAME students are already at a major disadvantage - Brexit is going to rub salt into an already gaping wound. Given the emphasis that Oxbridge place upon a person’s household income, the chances of seeing greater BAME representation at our elite universities are slim.

The existing lack of diversity at Oxbridge results in BAME students who do manage to gain a place experiencing racism and prejudice. Cambridge student Timi Sotire told Business Insider that she had students assume she knew the lyrics to every grime song, and was told her hair looked better straight.

This discrimination only exists because BAME students are so few in number; greater levels of racial diversity would ensure that such behaviour was stamped out. It is Oxbridge’s duty to ensure that this happens. However, given the rise in racially-aggravated hate crimes that has occurred since Brexit, the situation could be set to get even worse.

After Brexit, EU students will require a Tier 4 Student Visa in the same way current international students do, and will need to pay substantially higher fees- the Higher Education Policy Institute has predicted a 47% fall in EU applications. This will generate even greater levels of intolerance at our elite universities- due to increasingly less diversity- and BAME students will suffer as a result.

Candice, a working-class, black student at Oxford describes the role that imposter syndrome plays in BAME students’ desire to apply to elite universities. She said: “you want to go to a good university but you don’t want to stick out like a sore thumb”.

ACCESS

Only when Oxbridge becomes an institution open to all will we see them shake off the idea that they are centred on the white and wealthy. With the impact of Brexit looming on the horizon, there is the perfect opportunity for a major rethink.

The most concerning aspect of the disadvantage that BAME students face is that offer rates are still markedly lower even when A-levels are accounted for- research from the Runnymede Trust revealed that black British students are 17% less likely to receive an offer than white British students even when A-level results are the same.

Given that UCAS forms display the applicant’s personal details, it is plausible to suggest that racial discrimination is alive and well within our elite universities’ admissions processes. The UN report shed light upon the rise in both racial profiling and discrimination that has occurred since Brexit- this racial profiling could be significant in the lack of offers received by BAME students.

With this in mind, the unjust circumstances facing adequately-qualified BAME applicants are likely to get even worse. It is grossly unfair that entry to university should concern anything other than academic attainment, but Brexit has resulted in one’s racial background being put under the spotlight.

The fear of racism and isolation makes Oxbridge appear both unappealing and unattainable to BAME students. However, the problems faced by this community are far more deep-seated and multi-faceted than they first appear. Socio-economic background plays a hugely significant role- 75% of BAME communities live in 88 of the UK’s poorest areas.

A study by the Runnymede Trust focused on Bangladeshi, Black Caribbean and Pakistani students at Cambridge and found that 76% of those who worked in the holidays to fund their education received good examination grades. This shows how race and social class conspire to make academic success hugely challenging for those who do manage to gain a place.

The Independent Commission on Social Mobility points out that there are more young black men in prison than there are attending Russell Group universities. This statistic is shameful, as it demonstrates the influence that socio-economic background has upon a person’s chances of academic success. It will not change until two things happen.

Firstly, Oxbridge need to do everything possible to ensure that applicants are judged upon academic credentials only. Secondly, there must be sufficient infrastructure in place to ensure that students from disadvantaged backgrounds have an equal chance of flourishing. With the BAME community set to become even more economically marginalised due to Brexit, the need for change could not be more acute.

To make matters worse, a joint study by the NUS and UK revealed that only 0.7% senior academics are black- something that impacts hugely upon BAME students’ self-belief. Numbers such as these demonstrate that the issues facing the BAME community permeate all levels of education.

A study by Target Oxbridge reflects this idea, stating that only 2% of black students achieve 3 A-levels in total, let alone the minimum 3 As needed for Oxbridge. Brexit spending cuts will heap more financial misery on to BAME households, making it even more difficult to fulfil one’s academic potential. The barriers that prevent BAME students from succeeding need to fall so that we see greater levels of racial diversity at our elite universities.

In order to sow the seeds for a more egalitarian society, our elite universities need to make themselves both more accessible and welcoming to students from working-class, BAME backgrounds. It’s time to change.

Cameron Boyle is a political correspondent for the Immigration Advice Service; an organisation of immigration solicitors which provides legal support for students from overseas looking to study in the UK.