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Newcastle University. Image Source: Trinity Eadie The number of working-class students entering higher education has reached record levels, with 2024 marking a record high in university admissions. But despite this progress, many students in the North East of England say that being accepted onto a course is only the beginning of the challenge. Across the 24 Russell Group universities, around one in five undergraduate students identify as working class. Students in North East universities reflect similar patterns, such as in Newcastle University, where 11.35% of students said they came from working-class backgrounds in 2023. So why is there a growing demand for support against class-based inequality, and how can universities better address this issue? What are students strugglin...

Newcastle University. Image Credit: Trinity Eadie Working-class people across North East England are experiencing class-based discrimination at university, according to claims made by students. Students in the North East have described coming across “deeply ingrained” classism, with working-class students facing mockery for their regional accents, social backgrounds and financial situations. Some claim these experiences reflect deeper issues with elitism in university culture. Ralfs Clarke, the Working Class Representative at Durham University’s St Cuthbert’s Society, said that while overt classism is less common today, it remains embedded in more subtle ways. “I think classism, in the form that it takes now, is a lot more subtle,” he said. “It plays on assumptions and ignoranc...