University News Last updated 09 April
Birmingham City University (BCU) is backing a bold new national partnership to help develop a community for Black university students.
BCU, the National Union of Students (NUS) and the African and Caribbean Students Network (ACSN) have announced the creation of the National African-Caribbean Society (ACS) Alliance, bringing together student leaders and institutions to drive sector-wide change.
The Alliance will be formally launched at the first National ACS Conference, hosted at BCU’s Curzon Building on 28–29 May 2026.
The conference will focus on student leadership, tackling institutional racism and strengthening networks across African and Caribbean societies nationwide.
Birmingham has been selected as the host city due to its young and diverse population, with 12.9% of under-16s identifying as Black or Black British.
Dr Melanie-Marie Haywood, Dean of Students at BCU, said: “The National ACS Alliance is first and foremost about building community.
“By working in partnership with the NUS and the ACS Network, we are creating the first national space where Black, African and Caribbean heritage students can connect, organise, and learn from one another.
“This is a celebratory moment because it affirms the role ACSs have always played in nurturing identity, confidence and leadership, and it marks a step forward in building a sector where Black students are supported not in isolation, but together.”
Figures from 2021-22 show that Black students are half as likely to graduate with a first-class degree as their white peers, highlighting racial inequalities in higher education.
NUS President, Amira Campbell, said: “There is a gap in representation for African and Caribbean descent students politically in the UK.
“We have this incredible cultural foundation in African-Caribbean societies at students’ unions across the country, and this conference is the opportunity to build on that.
“I'm incredibly proud to be co organising the first national conference to establish this organisation, and really grateful that BCU are hosting this monumental event.”
The Alliance will also highlight inequalities in graduate outcomes. While university degrees increase earnings across all groups, disparities remain. Institute for Fiscal Studies data shows a white British woman can expect to earn 28% more with a degree, compared to 20% for Black African women and 9% for Black Caribbean women.
Adebola Adeleye, Head of Development at African and Caribbean Student Network, said: “This landmark event builds of our ongoing commitment to support, connecting and uplifting African-Caribbean societies across the UK.
“As a collective platform, the conference will act as a powerful catalyst for collaboration, leadership development, and long-term empowerment of Black students nationwide, laying a strong foundation for sustained impact in the years to come.”