Figures released by the universities of Oxford and Cambridge have revealed British students from minority ethnic groups are significantly less likely than their white British peers to be offered places at Russell Group universities.
Just 36% of minority ethnic applicants to all Russell Group universities were offered places compared to 55% of white applicants between 2010 and 2012. Those least likely to receive offers were applicants from Bangladeshi (31%), Pakistani (30%) and black (23%) backgrounds.
Students from Oxbridge have previously shared their experiences through the viral campaign "I, too, am Oxford", which highlighted the prejudices and discrimination faced by students from a minority ethnic background. Inspired by "I, too, am Harvard", hundreds of students took part in the campaign which quickly went viral on a number of social networks.
We'd like to hear not just from students at Oxbridge, but from other Russell Group universities too. Some of the questions we'd like answered are:
- How difficult was it for you to gain a place at your university?
- Since beginning your studies, have you experienced prejudice or discrimination because of your background or skin colour?
- Did you feel your background was a factor in your application?
If there's anything we've missed, feel free to add that in your response. We'd also be happy to hear from students who are about to start their studies or have graduated from one of the Russell Group universities.
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