Quarter of students identify as LGB at some UK universities

A rapid increase in lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) students at some UK campuses has prompted calls for universities to be more mindful about how cohorts are changing and what additional support needs this may bring.

Figures from the Office for Students (OfS) show that about 130,000 full-time undergraduate students identified as LGB in English universities in 2023-24. This was 11 per cent of the total student cohort, which was up from 8 per cent in 2020-21.

LGB students are slightly over-represented in higher education than among the general population – where the proportion is 9 per cent of 16- to 24-year-olds with level 3 qualifications.

Times Higher Education’s analysis found that virtually all members of Universities UK saw an increase in LGB students between 2020-21 and 2023-24.

Rates were highest at Norwich University of the Arts (29 per cent), Arts University Bournemouth (29 per cent) and Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance (27 per cent). All three institutions saw a sizeable increase in this proportion in recent years.

At the other end of the scale, just 3 per cent of students identified as LGB at the University of Bradford or Aston University.

Experts said that the demographics of a student population – including by age, nationality, ethnicity, social class and gender – will go a long way towards explaining the big differences in universities’ proportion of LGB learners.

Michael Sanders, director of the School for Government at King’s College London, said the perceived level of inclusivity of a university will also be a factor.

“The extent to which a campus is viewed as being inclusive will obviously shape the direction in which people choose to go, so some universities have always had a very strong reputation in terms of their openness and their inclusion of LGBT people.

“Brighton, Sussex and Manchester are the three that immediately spring to mind, and that clearly drives some proportion of young people for whom that’s an important part of their identity towards those institutions.”

The analysis revealed large disparities across relatively similar members of the Russell Group. For instance, LGB students made up 24 per cent of the student body at York University, 22 per cent at the University of Oxford and 19 per cent at the University of Cambridge.

But at others, such as Queen Mary University of London (6 per cent), the University of Birmingham (9 per cent) and Imperial College London (9 per cent), the proportion was much lower.

Sanders said the sector should examine data like this more, particularly when research has shown that LGBT students are more likely to experience mental health challenges than their straight peers.

“I think as we see our cohorts become more diverse as a result of our widening participation activities, universities need to be mindful of how their cohorts are becoming more diverse and what additional support people might need.

“If you see these figures and you see that you are doing really well at recruiting LGB students, then you might also think about what kind of support you are most likely to need in order to support those young people to thrive.”

Anna Llewellyn, associate professor in the School of Education at Durham University, said many students know the difference between “tick-box performative cultures”, and genuine inclusive work by universities, which may also impact the figures.

She said successful queer student groups typically have multiple events to suit their myriad members, including non-alcohol offerings, which contributes to a more welcoming environment at some institutions. 

patrick.jack@timeshighereducation.com