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

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Title: 'I deserve to be here': minority ethnic students and their conditional belonging in UK higher education.
Authors: Chiu, Yuan-Li Tiffany1 (AUTHOR) t.chiu@imperial.ac.uk, Wong, Billy2 (AUTHOR) b.wong@reading.ac.uk, Murray, Órla Meadhbh3 (AUTHOR) orla.murray@northumbria.ac.uk, Horsburgh, Jo1 (AUTHOR) j.horsburgh@imperial.ac.uk, Copsey-Blake, Meggie2 (AUTHOR) megan.copsey-blake@pgr.reading.ac.uk
Source: Higher Education (00181560). Apr2026, Vol. 91 Issue 4, p1273-1290. 18p.
Subject Terms: *Minority students, *Diversity & inclusion policies, *Psychology of students, *Higher education, *STEM education, *Universities & colleges, *Qualitative research, Social belonging
Geographic Terms: United Kingdom
Abstract: 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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Higher Education (00181560) is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Education Research Complete
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  Data: 'I deserve to be here': minority ethnic students and their conditional belonging in UK higher education.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Chiu%2C+Yuan-Li+Tiffany%22">Chiu, Yuan-Li Tiffany</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<i> t.chiu@imperial.ac.uk</i><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Wong%2C+Billy%22">Wong, Billy</searchLink><relatesTo>2</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<i> b.wong@reading.ac.uk</i><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Murray%2C+Órla+Meadhbh%22">Murray, Órla Meadhbh</searchLink><relatesTo>3</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<i> orla.murray@northumbria.ac.uk</i><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Horsburgh%2C+Jo%22">Horsburgh, Jo</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<i> j.horsburgh@imperial.ac.uk</i><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Copsey-Blake%2C+Meggie%22">Copsey-Blake, Meggie</searchLink><relatesTo>2</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<i> megan.copsey-blake@pgr.reading.ac.uk</i>
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Higher+Education+%2800181560%29%22">Higher Education (00181560)</searchLink>. Apr2026, Vol. 91 Issue 4, p1273-1290. 18p.
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  Data: *<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Minority+students%22">Minority students</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Diversity+%26+inclusion+policies%22">Diversity & inclusion policies</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Psychology+of+students%22">Psychology of students</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Higher+education%22">Higher education</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22STEM+education%22">STEM education</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Universities+%26+colleges%22">Universities & colleges</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Qualitative+research%22">Qualitative research</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Social+belonging%22">Social belonging</searchLink>
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  Data: 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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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  Data: <i>Copyright of Higher Education (00181560) is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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        Value: 10.1007/s10734-025-01469-1
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      – SubjectFull: Minority students
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      – SubjectFull: Psychology of students
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      – SubjectFull: Social belonging
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      – SubjectFull: United Kingdom
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              Text: Apr2026
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              Y: 2026
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