The Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) Degree Awarding Gap: An exploration of its scope, impact and possible explanations at a post-1992 institution

Black and Ethnic Minority (BME) undergraduates in the UK
achieve lower degree classifications than their White peers.
Such lower outcomes lead to poorer employment rates and
reduced access to postgraduate study. In response, policy
has turned to address the 'degree awarding gap' as a first
step in challenging racial inequality and social injustice in
higher education (HE) provision.
Several studies have examined the causes and impact of
the BME awarding gap. However, the problem persists. A
possible reason for this failure may be to do with some
gaps in those studies that my research aims to address.
Through a purposive study in one super-diverse university, I
will compare and contrast the experiences of BME students
in three departments where the awarding gap is
characterised as 'low, 'medium' and 'high' to drill down into
the phenomenon. One possibility is that dominant
discourses of BME underattainment may be hiding some
different outcomes. Second, in many studies, BME students
are 'taken' as a homogenous cohort; my study will explore
issues of intersectionality and ethnic identities in relation
to HE experiences and attainment. Third, I will interview
university staff tasked with addressing the BME awarding
gap.
My study is framed by Bourdieusian concepts and 'wicked
problem' theory to complement what is currently known
about the key drivers of the BME awarding gap in HE. Its
findings will offer a vital contribution towards this
longstanding, 'wicked' problem.