Birkbeck launches bursary targeting White working-class boys and young men as first of its kind in London

Birkbeck, University of London is offering a new £3000 bursary, combined with an outreach programme, to encourage more White working-class boys and young men to study for degrees, thanks to a generous donation from the LEN Foundation.

The bursary, which will contribute towards living expenses, is thought to be the first in the capital and one of very few in the UK to target White young men from low-income families, one of the most underrepresented groups in higher education. It will aim to transform the lives of 50 young men over four years who receive an award.

This follows the recent news from the UK government that it is putting class at the heart of its equalities agenda by creating a new unit that will prioritise tackling White working-class inequality.

To meet the eligibility criteria for an award, applicants will need to be White British; live in a low-income household and be the first member of a family to go to university.

The outreach programme will initially target students in years 7 to 13 (11 to 18 years of age) living in London boroughs with high levels of deprivation and poor progression rates into university. The programme will offer information, advice and guidance about university. It will also promote the relevance and value of degrees and highlight the vocational and transferrable skills students gain from studying for one.

The programme will also target their teachers, parents and carers, who are known to be important in influencing the decisions and choices they make.

The Transforming Lives bursary and outreach programme will build on Birkbeck’s founding commitment to widen participation in and break down barriers to, accessing higher education.

While schools in London generally outperform the rest of the UK, White young people with lower socioeconomic status perform well below disadvantaged peers from other ethnic groups.

The Independent Inquiry into White Working Class Educational Outcomes found that the education system in the UK is not set up to serve White working-class young people and families, and White working-class boys sees some of the lowest attainment at GCSE.

At a national level, White male English/Welsh/Scottish/Northern Irish/British pupils eligible for free school meals at age 15 were among the least likely to progress to higher education by age 19, at 13% in 2024/25. This compares to the overall national average of 44.7%.

Laura Bradnam, Birkbeck Transforming Lives Programme Manager, said; “Encouraging groups such as young White boys from low-income families to apply and study for a degree is not just about offering them financial support to do so. It requires a long-term commitment to change their mindset and encourage them to consider university as an option when they start thinking about GCSEs. Parents, carers and schools are all important in their decision-making process. We are taking a strengths-based approach, not focusing on ‘what’s wrong’, but with what is possible, building on existing skills.”

Professor Sally Wheeler, Vice-Chancellor, Birkbeck, University of London said; “Birkbeck was founded in the 1820s to provide access to education for working-class Londoners with the knowledge that higher education had the power to transform the lives of individuals and communities. It still has the power to do this today.

“Students who study for degrees at Birkbeck not only talk about the transformative impact that doing so has on their lives, but many also go into employment or start businesses that directly benefit their local communities.

“We offer a broad range of bursaries and support for disadvantaged groups of learners and are ranked highly for our contribution to social mobility.

“Birkbeck is immensely thankful to the LEN Foundation for making it possible to offer an important bursary and outreach programme to this group of people to help transform their lives.”

Andy Lennard, Trustee of the LEN Foundation said; ”The LEN Foundation was established to support organisations that break the link between socio-economic background and life chances.

“We are really pleased to fund a programme at Birkbeck, University of London, that will help support 50 White working-class boys and young men from low-income backgrounds, who are among the least likely of any group of school and college leavers to go to university, to study for a degree.”