Understanding the lived experience of ethnic minority students in postgraduate research
Published on 1 January, 2022.
This report sets out the findings from the first qualitative research on the experiences of ethnic minority postgraduate research students accessing and studying at higher education institutions represented by GuildHE. It captures, through interviews, their perceptions and experiences of studying a postgraduate research degree at smaller and specialist higher education institutions. The research represents the most expansive attempt to date to explore these issues. However, there are some limitations so we cannot claim this research is representative of all ethnic minority PGR students. From the data available through the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), it is a challenge to determine precise numbers of ethnic minority PGR students at GuildHE research-active institutions, or to define their exact profile in terms of demographic, socioeconomic or educational background. That notwithstanding, what we have learned contributes important and otherwise largely unreported perspectives on experiences of higher education and research