The race penalty in university education

“Study hard, get a good education and life’s opportunities will be open to you.” So the education mantra goes. And in part it is correct, but what do we tell our children about education’s persistent race penalty?

“Oh, and by the way, Son, even if you enter university with the same grades as your white friend, he or she are significantly more likely to end up with a better degree than you.”

Anecdotally , many of us knew this to be true, but this week a shocking report by the Higher Education Funding Council for England confirmed this with its latest hard hitting report. A report that states: White university students at English universities receive significantly higher degree grades than their peers from minority ethnic backgrounds with the same entry qualifications.

The findings from the most comprehensive study of its kind highlighted that 72% of white students who have grades BBB at A-level went on to gain a first or upper second-class degree, compared with only 56% of Asian students and 53% of black students. A number of key questions are raised as a result of this report: Is this the result of the lack of Black professors? Out of 15,000 there are fewer than 75. Is there a lack of support for BME students? And, or, is it down to the subtlest form of racism that instinctively marks down BME students?

Not surprisingly, some seem quick to blame the students themselves. Nick Hillman, Director of the Higher Education Policy Institute and a former special adviser to the Universities Minister, David Willetts says:

Universities need to think very carefully about how they can best support their students with different ethnic backgrounds, as many are underperforming against their classmates."

But it doesn’t answer the central question; Why the same students didn’t underperform at school and college, but now they are at university? What is it about university ? Are BME students saying, “the closer I get to getting a good job and I’m going to mess up?”

Perhaps a pertinent and more difficult question would be to ask why are universities failing to treat BME students as equals?

And it’s not just at universities where the race penalty persists. So concerned was the Education Secretary Michael Gove MP that BME children were marked down at schools that he has called for ‘anonymous marking’ of exam papers, which has been proven to ensure BME children get higher marks.

The question of race inequality within our education system will be high on our political agenda, as you would expect.

This detailed report by the Higher Education Funding Council for England clearly tells us the outlook for our children’s future will depend upon the pressure we can bring to bear so that our education institutions treat our children fairly.

Simon Woolley