Office for Students Launch Dedicated Research Fund for Widening Access and Participation

The Office for Students (OfS) and Research England have today launched a new £8 million funding competition to improve access to and participation in postgraduate research study (PGR) for Black, Asian and minority ethnic students.

These students are underrepresented in postgraduate research study – and new data published today by the OfS shows there has been little change in recent years. Participation in PGR study at high-tariff universities and colleges (where most PGR study takes place) remains low; 17.1 per cent of PGR students in 2017-18 were from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds, a rise of just 1.4 percentage points compared to participation levels in 2010-11.

Evidence suggests that a number of barriers and equality gaps at undergraduate level continue to negatively impact Black, Asian and minority ethnic students’ progression to PGR study. For example, OfS data shows a difference of 22.1 percentage points between the proportion of white and Black students getting a 1st or 2:1 in 2017-18, while only 4.7 per cent of PGR students entering in the same year were Black.

Research England and the OfS are investing £6 million and £2 million respectively in projects to improve access and participation for these groups at all stages of the PGR student lifecycle.

Successful projects will look to address these issues through, for example, improving access for Black, Asian and minority ethnic students applying for and entering into research study; enhancing the PGR student experience for these groups; and diversifying routes into careers in research and teaching.

View more information here

Contact Heather Mackenzie from the Doctoral College for support with the bid on h.e.mackenzie@soton.ac.uk