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DIVERSITY: Higher education in the UK

NEW RESEARCH looking at the future profile of young people entering higher education (HE) from London shows that the numbers of younger students entering HE will increase by over 50% by 2030, nearly 75% of these students will be from BAME backgrounds and over 50,000 will be the first in the family to enter HE.

The report from Access HE reflects the increasing ethnic minority presence in higher education in the UK and says now more than ever, young people from black and Asian families are more likely to apply for university.

"We are witnessing hyper-diversity among the student body in London, where diversity is the norm and not the exception," says the report.

"Based on existing evidence, we can expect a significant increase in the number of young students entering higher education by 2030, and an increase in the diversity of these students... nearly 75% being non-white."

The report argues that this ‘hyper diversity’ in the students entering HE from London means that new forms of collaboration across HE providers in the capital will be required that focus on student success and retention. It also calls for HE providers and policymakers to adopt these forecasts as targets to aspire to, in making London to the most diverse place in the world to study in higher education.

Dr. Graeme Atherton, Head of AccessHE and co-author of the report states: "This report shows that London is driving diversity in higher education participation in England. This diversity is a strength to be celebrated but will require HE providers to adapt and change what they do over the coming years."

From the report, they found that African students are expected to become the second largest ethnic group, while the proportion of students from a Caribbean background will fall from 6% to 4%.

Also, the number of Indian students is expected to fall from 7% to 4%, while Pakistani students will remain at 5%.

The number of white students is expected to increase, but not as much as other groups.

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