KEY TAKEAWAYS
A 2021 summary report for the Sutton Trust identified that students who experience economic disadvantage may fare better by studying subjects such as business, computing and law, while they could fare worse when selecting subjects including English, languages, geography and the creative arts. Moreover, the careers of black and minority ethnic students appear to be far more positively impacted by subjects such as business, It is well established that a business school education isn’t an equal experience for all students from every socio-economic background. However, Sullivan’s 2017 paper reasoned that some universities have a greater impact on the lives of their economically disadvantaged students than others, in terms of their social mobility. One realistic explanation may be that there are different mechanisms for each socio-economic group, functioning in different ways. Not every mechanism is suitable for everyone, meaning that students should choose their subject wisely, or risk being potentially excluded from the mechanism that works best for their particular group. computing and law than other subjects. The need to take responsibility It follows that students from disadvantaged backgrounds ought to be better informed about which mechanism works for them. Perhaps business schools should identify the most suitable subjects for students from disadvantaged backgrounds and promote these accordingly. Despite the calls for business schools to champion disadvantaged students, they do not have a legal responsibility to treat them the same way as students from other designated backgrounds. According to the Financial Conduct Authority, diversity and inclusion are protected measures under the Equality Act, however socio-economic backgrounds are excluded. Some universities are supporting disadvantaged students by including them in the design of their taught programmes and as part of their DE&I policies. The University of Law (ULaw), for example, seeks to ensure an accessible and inclusive learning experience for all. This is important since, according to 2024 figures from the Office for Students, 53 per cent of full-time undergraduate students at ULaw have a home postcode in an area of economic deprivation. At ULaw, module designers take a socially inclusive approach in which they are responsible for ensuring that taught content is accessible to all. According to
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Wealth inequality persists and interferes with both university attainment and post‑graduation employability Working-class graduates in the UK benefit more from a distinct set of subjects that includes business, computing and law
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Morag Duffin, head of access and student success at ULaw, students from a variety of backgrounds should be able to recognise themselves in a programme’s design, thus experiencing a sense of belonging. Programme and module designers should develop suitably inclusive learning experiences for students and take into account their differing backgrounds, argues Duffin. She observes that the curriculum should be designed in such a way that it reflects the lives, cultures and lived experiences of a diverse student cohort, including the large number of students from areas of economic deprivation. Learning experiences have been designed to be more inclusive at ULaw in several ways. As module designers, we should ensure that we write in clear English, avoid colloquialisms and talk to students at their level. Duffin has suggested that students with English language needs should be referred to language support; moreover, academic terms may need to be explained to avoid excluding economically disadvantaged students. Settings used in business cases, for example, should not exclude students from working-class backgrounds who might lack the experiences familiar to students from middle-class families. Module designers might be encouraged to design cases to be more accessible to a diverse audience by referring to topics from popular culture. The curriculum should be designed universally in such a way that all students can relate to • Leaving university and returning home is a ‘classed’ experience for many, who find it hard to attain graduate-level employment • Business schools should integrate universally inclusive learning experiences into the curriculum to include working-class students • Managing a supportive transition post- graduation can help towards a more secure future for graduates who come from a disadvantaged background
32 Business Impact • ISSUE 1 • 2025
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