‘I deserve to be here’: minority ethnic students and their conditional belonging in UK higher education

Chiu, Y.-L. T., Wong, B. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7310-6418, Murray, Ó. M., Horsburgh, J. and Copsey-Blake, M. (2025) ‘I deserve to be here’: minority ethnic students and their conditional belonging in UK higher education. Higher Education. ISSN 1573-174X doi: 10.1007/s10734-025-01469-1

Abstract/Summary

In efforts to support students’ belonging in higher education, universities continue to cultivate and promote diversity and inclusion in their academic communities. Despite this endeavour, students from underrepresented backgrounds can still often encounter barriers to belonging at university. Existing research has identified multiple domains of student belonging in higher education, although there has been limited qualitative analysis of how belonging is experienced by minority ethnic students, especially at elite institutions. This paper draws on 72 in-depth interviews with minority ethnic STEM university students in the UK. Drawing on the sociological concept of conditional belonging, which is mostly used in migration studies, our findings indicate that students’ construction and negotiation of belonging can be ‘conditional’ and ‘conditioned’ based on their prior educational experiences, perceptions of being a minority within their institutional contexts and social and academic interaction with others. We argue that conditional belonging can shape how students participate, engage and develop belonging in higher education. We conclude with practical implications for learning and teaching that can foster a diverse and inclusive academic community for all.

Item Type	Article
URI	https://centaur.reading.ac.uk/id/eprint/122807
Identification Number/DOI	10.1007/s10734-025-01469-1
Refereed	Yes
Divisions	Arts, Humanities and Social Science > Institute of Education > Improving Equity and Inclusion through Education
Publisher	Springer Netherlands
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