Black students 50% more likely to drop out of university, new figures reveal

Get Nadine White's Race Report newsletter for a fresh perspective on the week's news Get our free newsletter from The Independent's Race Correspondent Get our free newsletter from The Independent's Race Correspondent SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. The figures have been described as “very disappointing” by the shadow minister for diverse communities, Dawn Butler, who has urged the Government to bring forward “urgent” proposals to end disparity for black students. “I now call on the Government to urgently bring forward bold proposals to end the disparity for black students and ensure real opportunities for all.” In light of the report, the UPP Foundation urged the Government to introduce a new target to remove the completion gap for black students and those from disadvantaged backgrounds by 2025, with a focus “as much on retention as on widening the pool of applications and enrolments”. The report’s author, SMF research director Nigel Keohane, said: “It’s futile to direct significant efforts to get poorer and ethnic minority students into higher education if the same students subsequently drop out. Each drop out represents a loss of potential, a poor and probably confidence-sapping experience for a student and an investment in tuition costs which is likely to have a low return.” Dr Paul Marshall, chair of the board of trustees at the UPP Foundation, meanwhile, said: “The available data sets show us that universities are currently doing a very good job at providing a higher education closely tailored to the needs of their students.