This research investigates the role of class within higher education. Through an online survey, the project has collected data about the experiences of working-class staff and students at BCU. The aim is to inform change related to improving (1) the student experience and graduate outcomes, and (2) the working environment for staff.
This research project explores the role of social class in higher education, with a particular focus on the experiences of working-class staff, doctoral researchers, and students.
Despite increasing attention to equality, diversity, and inclusion within universities, social class remains an underexplored dimension of inequality in higher education. While widening participation initiatives have sought to improve access for students from working-class backgrounds, less attention has been paid to the experiences of working-class individuals once they enter higher education.
The Working-Class Experiences in Higher Education project addresses this gap by examining how class, and its intersections with identities such as race, gender, sexuality and disability, shapes experiences of belonging, progression, and opportunity within the sector.
The project began as a pilot study at BCU exploring the experiences of working-class staff and students. The findings from this research have since informed a broader programme of engagement activities, sector dialogue, and community-building initiatives designed to raise awareness of class in higher education and improve support for working-class individuals across the sector.
The project contributes to ongoing conversations about:
- Belonging and inclusion within higher education
- Career pathways and progression for students and staff
- Intersectional experiences of working-class people
- Social mobility and opportunity within academia
Through research, events, and community engagement, the project aims to support more inclusive and equitable higher education environments.
Researchers
Pilot Study: Experiences of Working-Class Staff and Students
The project began with an online survey conducted at Birmingham City University in 2023, exploring the experiences of staff and students who identify as working-class.
The survey received 220 responses, highlighting strong engagement with the topic and demonstrating the importance of creating spaces where individuals can discuss how social class shapes their experiences within higher education.
The research explores:
- Experiences of belonging and exclusion within academia
- Structural barriers and inequalities
- Imposter syndrome and confidence
- Intersectional experiences of working-class people
The findings from this pilot study underpin the wider project activities have been accepted for publication in 2027.
BCU Working-Class Network
One of the key outcomes of the project has been the creation of the BCU Working-Class Network, which launched in February 2025, providing a supportive and collegiate space for staff and students who identify as working-class.
The Network aims to:
- Build a supportive community for working-class staff and students
- Facilitate conversations about social class in higher education
- Provide peer support and opportunities for discussion
- Promote research and dialogue on class and intersectionality
- Develop outreach activities with schools and colleges to raise awareness of higher education pathways for students from working-class backgrounds
Since its launch, the Network has grown to over 100 members and has hosted a range of online and in-person events bringing together staff and students from across the university.
Get Involved
The BCU Working-Class Network is open to staff and students who identify as working-class, as well as those interested in discussions around social class and higher education.
To join the Network, or to find out more, please contact:
Events and Sector Engagement
The project has also contributed to sector-wide conversations about class and higher education through workshops, collaborative events, and invited talks.
M4C Dialogue Day (2024)
Working-Class Academics and Intersectionality: Improving ‘Routes Out’ Support for Doctoral Researchers
In September 2024, Birmingham City University hosted its first an AHRC-funded M4C Dialogue Day exploring the experiences of doctoral researchers from working-class backgrounds.
Through four bespoke sessions, the Dialogue Day placed an intersectional lens on ‘routes out’ of PhD study, while also practically supporting current doctoral researchers across all disciplines. These sessions included:
- Dr Alice Storey (BCU): Working-Class Academics
Dr Storey shared the initial findings from her Working-Class Experiences study (see above). The participants discussed the thematic findings, having conversations about how their own experiences related to the data, bringing fresh perspectives and suggesting new ideas for future research. The group affirmed a key sub-theme of the data, that a support network for working-class staff and students at BCU is needed.
- Dr Tara Lai Quinlan (UoB): Tracking Young People’s Lived Experiences
Dr Quinlan led a group discussion of the preliminary findings from her project that analyses the University of Birmingham’s annual survey of law students engaged in criminal justice and criminal law modules. The research examines the opinions about and experiences of the criminal justice system from students with intersectional backgrounds. The group reflected on the data and findings, sharing their lived experiences in a safe space.
- Anne-Louise Crichlow, Yvonne Leslie, and Dr Jacqueline Taylor (BCU): That’s Me! Revisioning Minoritised PGR Pathways
Led by PGR, Anne-Louise Crichlow, the That’s Me! team delivered an interactive session that invited the group to explore their own experiences and aspirations relating to routes out of the PhD. The session supported the group to consider the decisions that drive them in pursuing their own pathways, as well as the idea of post-PGR imaginaries that include the inside, outside and peripheries of academia.
- Hannah Kibirige (Social Justice Collective): Support and Coping Strategies
Hannah Kibirige, the Head of Inclusion and Equity with the Social Justice Collective, created an interactive session focused upon the challenges students face during their doctoral studies. The group reflected on the intersectional challenges they have encountered as researchers, as well as identifying the coping mechanisms they have already developed. The session concluded with an exploration of the support they might need to cope with difficult situations and outcomes in their professional careers, providing tangible ideas and links to resources.
Feedback from the doctoral researchers that attended the Dialogue Day included:
“It felt really empowering to be able to share experiences and barriers I’ve faced with others in a safe space”
“Really hit home how important intersectional experience is.”
“This is the first event I’ve been to where being working class has been recognised and forefronted. Very inspiring… Really enjoyed the speakers’ contribution[s]. I came home and told my husband I had found my people.”
University Alliance Doctoral Summer School (July 2025)
A workshop delivered by Dr Alice Storey and Dr Jacqueline Taylor at the University Alliance Doctoral Summer School at the University of Derby explored how class and intersectionality shape post-PhD career pathways.
Drawing on findings from this research and the That’s Me! project, the session encouraged doctoral researchers to reflect on how intersecting identities influence access to opportunities, career progression and belonging within academia.
Read more about the event here.
Webinar - Experiences of Belonging: Working-Class Students and Higher Education
In November 2025, Dr Alice Storey was invited to speak at the webinar Experiences of Belonging: Working-Class Students and Higher Education, an online event bringing together researchers, practitioners, and students from across the UK to explore how social class shapes belonging and participation within higher education.
As part of the event, Dr Storey delivered a talk titled “We Belong Here: Creating a Working-Class Network in Higher Education.” The presentation drew on findings from her research into the experiences of working-class staff and students and discussed the development of the BCU Working-Class Network as a practical initiative to foster community, visibility, and peer support within the university.
You can read more about the event here.
Future Work
The project will continue to develop research, publications, and engagement activities focused on improving the experiences of working-class individuals in higher education.
Future work will include:
- Publication of research findings
- Continued development of the BCU Working-Class Network
- Further events and sector discussions on class and higher education
- Collaborative research and dialogue on intersectionality, legal education, and the legal profession
Through this work, the project aims to contribute to greater recognition of social class within equality, diversity, and inclusion discussions, and to support more inclusive environments for staff and students across the higher education sector.