The University of Law is an ethnically diverse University: around 50% of our undergraduate students and 40% of our postgraduate students are from groups that are underrepresented (or have been historically marginalised) in higher education, on the basis of race, ethnicity and/or cultural heritage.
We are committed in supporting you to achieve in your course and to progress onto your employment of choice. We are aware of the awarding gaps between students of different ethnicities within the higher education sector, and as part of our Access and Participation work we are committed to eliminating our awarding gaps.
Support we offer for
- 1 to 1 appointments with the Wellbeing Service. Our wellbeing advisers can provide advice and guidance on concerns particular to your lived experience.
- Access to the Student Assistance Programme (SAP), provided by Spectrum.Life, this confidential, in the moment support service, provides support to all university students. The team of fully qualified counsellors and experts from a range of backgrounds are highly experienced and can support anyone in an inclusive, person-centred way. The SAP can also refer you on for up to six sessions of counselling.
- We have a reporting process, to stand up to discrimination, prejudice and abuse which is not tolerated at the University, if you or others experience this, please inform us via our report and support platform.
- We have strong links with diversity organisations within the legal and business sectors and we regularly run events with these partners to address questions about diversity and provide opportunities for our students to meet professionals from ethnic minority backgrounds.
- There are a range of cultural and international societies available to join in order to make connections and feel part of a wider university community. These societies include the African Caribbean Societies (ACS), Asian Societies and International Student societies.
The University of Law Diversity and Inclusion Advocate Scheme
The University of Law Diversity and Inclusion Advocate Scheme recruits current students to work together with University staff to support and empower Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Students.
The Advocates support students from all courses and campuses of the University to express their opinions on their student experience in a safe space. They work with the University to co-create and co-deliver activities and events aimed at improving the experiences and outcomes of students. Example projects include consultation on inclusive learning, idea generation for resources and developing outreach sessions for prospective students.
The Advocate role is an excellent opportunity for students to gain valuable work experience and leadership skills, as well as developing professionalism, respect for others and social awareness. This is also a paid opportunity.
Race and Ethnicity Alliance
The Race and Ethnicity Alliance (REA) is a collaboration between the Diversity and Inclusion Advocates, The University of Law, and professionals within the legal and business sectors. The aim of the REA is to provide a forum for law and business students to work directly with members of the legal and business sectors to support the promotion of equality, diversity and inclusion, with a specific focus on race and ethnicity. A key aim is to support organisations in the legal and business sectors to make a real and sustained commitment to improving their practices of inclusion around race and ethnicity. This is attempted through regular meetings and discussions, shedding light for organisations to understand the reasons behind inequalities in success and progression. The REA is keen to ensure that organisations are accountable for this commitment and make changes to ensure equality of opportunity. The group is currently developing a charter for organisations to sign up to, which aims to encourage and help them commit publicly to work towards achieving one or more of the goals of the charter.
We also recognise the impact that the cost of living crisis is a big consideration when looking to study, here you can find out more about how we can support you in addition to whether you would be eligible for any of our scholarships or bursaries.