Classism has no place at the University of St Andrews

Recent media coverage has raised questions about classism at the University of St Andrews. Vice-Principal (Communications) Niall Scott explains the University’s position, the work it does to support students from all backgrounds, and why universities have an important role in challenging prejudice and promoting inclusion.

In an article for The National, which first published concerns about some students experiencing classism at St Andrews, he said:

The National is right. Some students do arrive here in St Andrews with immature, offensive, and classist views. But they tend not to leave with them.

This isn’t a St Andrews issue – it’s a societal issue. Classism begins in the home or at school, not at university. Universities like St Andrews have a crucial role to play in challenging these attitudes by bringing together people from different backgrounds, cultures, and perspectives, encouraging understanding, respect, and inclusion.

It is that same dynamic – bringing people together suddenly into one compressed community – which will very quickly surface behaviours or attitudes which young people have acquired before they get here.

Our role is to show them that everyone who is here deserves to be here, on the basis of intellectual ability, nothing else, and that their diversity is something to celebrate. That’s why diversity is a central pillar of our University Strategy, and why most people leave this university with their world view changed and shaped by those around them.

We have students from more than 130 countries here, and at least as many accents and dialects. That spirit of inclusion and openness is a Scottish thing. It also runs proudly counter to the right-wing, anti-migrant sentiment which currently taints politics elsewhere in the UK.

The National has surfaced an important issue in its reporting of classism, but it’s also perpetuated old myths and prejudices, and these need to be addressed.

The number of Scottish students at St Andrews is determined entirely by the Scottish Government. They tell us precisely how many we can admit every year, and if we go even one student beyond our cap, we are fined. It’s nothing to do with the university.

This is a consequence of the SNP’s free tuition policy which strictly limits how many Scottish students each of our universities can admit. It’s important we’re honest about that and that this suggestion that St Andrews is somehow anti-Scottish is called out for what it is – absolute nonsense.

We’re a Scottish university, founded by Scots, and Scottish students are our lifeblood and heritage. But for six centuries we have always been open to the world, in the belief that Scotland is forever stronger for its ability to welcome those from different shores.

Yes, like every university we know we will always have work to do to teach students how to respect and value diversity. Inclusion isn’t something that just happens, you have to work at it, and we know we don’t always get it right.

Sophie Rose Jenkins’s post stings, because it’s not who we want to be, and not the experience we want any student to have here.

The staff and student volunteers who work so hard to persuade young Scottish people to think about applying here are despondent at the damage this story, and the surfacing of old myths, could do.

Staff and student leaders here have reached out to Sophie because we want to better understand her experience, but she’s said she doesn’t wish to engage just now. We respect her choice, but we hope she will speak to us in time.

We do have prominent and robust systems in place for students, or staff, to raise concerns about any form of prejudice, including classism, and these systems also allow anonymous reporting.

We’ve had less than a handful of complaints or reports of classism via these systems in the past five years, but we will always encourage people to use them. And we will always act on complaints or information received.

Read more about our access programmes and widening access initiatives for postgraduates and our First Chances Fife programme to encourage local students into further education.

Students or staff can raise concerns, on classism or any other issue, via our online reporting tool Report + Support.