Bilaal Ali, who is studying for an Accounting and Finance degree in the Sheffield Business School at Sheffield Hallam, is registered blind. During his time at university, he has won an Inspirational Student Award for his dedication and excellent grades, completed an internship with the Financial Times thanks to help from the Thomas Pocklington Trust, and now works at Nicholson & Co Accountancy alongside his studies.
On going to Sheffield Hallam University, Bilaal said: “Going to university has been something I’ve wanted to do for a long time but didn’t think I'd achieve due to my visual disability, but hard work and dedication got me there.
“It has made a lot of differences in my life in a positive way, as I have adjusted to new support workers, new friends, and new challenges. I have adapted well to the university lifestyle as well as balancing my academic and personal life at the same time. University has made me more confident and has grown my independence.”
Sam Giove, Director of Sheffield Business School at Sheffield Hallam, said: “We are hugely committed to supporting students from diverse backgrounds and are dedicated to ensuring all our students have the opportunity to thrive. We pride ourselves on having a positive impact on social and economic mobility.
“First generation students are empowered and thrive in the Business School, and they are active and influential members of our community. We’re proud of the academic and professional achievements of first-generation students and the significant impact they have on others and society.”
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UUK’s ‘100 Faces campaign’ aims to champion and celebrate the positive impact of ‘first-in-the-family’ (FitF) graduates on the UK – including England footballer Beth Mead, Lord David Blunkett, Nobel Prize winner Sir Chris Pissarides and actor Amit Shah - in order to highlight the need for access to support, and ensure the next generation can reach their graduate potential.
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As part of the campaign, new research reveals the transformative impact of going to university on ambition (74%), with almost three quarters (73%) of FitF students agreeing their degree gave them the confidence to apply for jobs without feeling like an imposter.
These findings come from extensive new research, commissioned by Universities UK, into the experiences of 6,004 UK graduates and 4,006 non-graduates, aged 24-40, from across the UK.
The success of students like Bilaal is testament to the extraordinary role university can play – particularly for those students who are the first in their family to attend and face significant barriers before they even set foot on campus. Despite this inequality, FiF students flourish at university – with three quarters of FiF respondents saying that their experiences at university made them more confident and ambitious, gave them broader life experiences and crucial life skills which continue to be impactful long after graduation.
However, the research also pointed to the need for uplifted financial support to ensure that FiF students are able to progress. Over 4 in 10 (41%) FitF students believe that without financial assistance they wouldn’t have been able to afford to go to university, and when non-graduates from across the UK were asked what might have persuaded them to attend university, almost half (48%) responded more financial support.
Many graduates responding to this survey were eligible for non-repayable maintenance grants as students, which were replaced by repayable loans, in England in 2016, although maintenance grants continue to operate in Wales, Scotland and for some healthcare courses in England.
In light of this, UUK is campaigning to highlight the achievements of the extraordinary first in family graduates in every community, and to ensure that future generations don’t miss out on the transformative impact of a university education.
Vivienne Stern MBE, Chief Executive of Universities UK, commented:
“There are those who say that too many people go to university. I disagree. These stories tell you why. In this country you are still twice as likely to go to university if you are from the wealthiest background, compared to the least wealthy. That’s not right.
“The experiences of students who are the first in their families to have been to university tell a powerful story. I am amazed by how many graduates talked about having imposter syndrome – and the way that earning a degree helped to banish that feeling.
“I believe we have a responsibility to keep working to ensure a wider range of people in this country get access to the potentially transformative experience of going to university. For that to happen, we really do need to see an improvement in maintenance support to support those from the least privileged backgrounds.”
