The BME Student Experience At A Small Northern University: An Examination Of The Experiences Of Minority Ethnic Students Undertaking Undergraduate Study Within A Small Northern University

Abstract

This paper presents the findings of a research study exploring the experiences of black, minority, ethnic (‘BME’) students within a small English University (the ‘university’). The recognised need for research in this area is particularly compelling in relation to the experience of ethnic minority undergraduates on a campus with a low proportion of BME staff and students such as the research site. It is anticipated that the findings of this research will add to the emerging body of national and international work in this area and assist in understanding the BME experience within the research institution and other UK higher education institutes (HEIs), and also universities and colleges in the wider European context. In particular, it will provide a firm evidential base for the development of institutional policy and strategy in this important area, with a particular focus on the learning experience and progression of BME students. In addition to various external calls for further research in this area, the necessity for institutional research into the BME student experience is reinforced by the basic statutory requirements in the UK imposed by the public sector equality duty and pursuant to the Equality Act 2010.