Session 6 - Strand 2 (Online)

Abstract:

This presentation explores a critical but underexplored question within Higher Education equity work: what happens when People of the Global Majority (PGM) students become aware of the awarding gap? Drawing on survey data, student narratives, and lived experiences from the University of Portsmouth, the session examines how awareness of differential outcomes shapes students’ sense of belonging, engagement, confidence, and trust in Higher Education institutions. While the awarding gap is widely recognised across the UK sector as a persistent structural inequality, institutional discussions often focus on interventions and metrics rather than the student experience of awareness itself. This presentation shifts the focus from ‘what the awarding gap is’ to ‘what awareness of the awarding gap does’. Using a mixed-methods approach, the session draws on quantitative survey findings alongside qualitative accounts of lived experience, including reflections on racialised experiences, micro-aggressions, institutional response systems, and student perceptions of support. Emerging findings suggest that awareness is uneven and emotionally complex. For some students, awareness can be empowering, encouraging engagement and critical understanding. For others, it can reinforce frustration, mistrust, or feelings of exclusion. The presentation will explore how these reactions are shaped by everyday experiences within the university environment and how awareness can directly influence students’ sense of belonging and academic success. It will argue that awareness alone is insufficient and that meaningful institutional action, transparent communication, and safe spaces for dialogue are essential if awareness is to become a catalyst for positive change rather than disengagement. The session will be relevant to colleagues working in EDI, student experience, academic development, and higher education research who are seeking student-informed approaches to reducing awarding gaps and creating more inclusive learning environments.