Frequently asked questions

We know that choosing where you will attend university can be both daunting and exciting, and you may need to ask lots of questions to help you come to a decision. Below, you can find answers to the questions we are most frequently asked by prospective students from Asian, Black and racialised minority backgrounds.

If you can't find an answer to your query, please feel free to get in touch with us directly at choosebristol-ug@bristol.ac.uk.

How racially diverse is the student body at the University of Bristol? How diverse is the city?

Of Bristol’s 2023 intake, 23.1% of Home undergraduate students were of Asian or Black heritage or a Minoritised Ethnic background. This is higher than the 17.0% intake in 2019 and has steadily increased each year. This does not include our international students.

9.6% of students identified as Asian, 3.2% of students identified as Black, and 8.8% of students were from mixed ethnic backgrounds.

Making our student body more diverse is a core aim of the university and though we are not yet where we want to be, we are making progress on every measure, through partnering with our current students and taking an innovative approach to outreach, admissions and student inclusion.

Bristol is an inclusive, and global city with people from more than 180 countries and home to 45 religions & 91 languages. According to the 2021 census, 18.9% of the population of Bristol were Asian or Black heritage and a Minoritised ethnic background.

We are home to St Paul’s Carnival, which celebrates Caribbean Culture and the was last event in 2023 was attended by 100,000 people! Bristol is also home to Grand Iftar hosted on College Green next to City Hall and the Multicultural Hub of St Marks Road in Easton.

Bristol is home to several independent shops. These include places where you can find Halal food or get your hair done, such as Broadmead, Gloucester Road, St Pauls, and Easton.

There are several places of worship in the city including Buddhist centres, Churches, Gurdwaras, Mosques, Synagogues, and Temples.

Visit Global Bristol, our handy website where you can find out where to get world foods, find a place of worship or get your hair done and much more!

What steps are the University of Bristol taking to improve racial diversity?

We want to attract the very best students to the University and ensure that Bristol represents the rich diversity of our society. We value the different lived experiences and cultures people bring to the University and believe representation will help make our university an even better place to study for all students.

As well as improving the diversity of our student body, we also want to ensure that students are enabled to succeed in, and progress from, their studies at the same rates as their peers.

For example, we have set targets in our access and participation plan which demonstrate our explicit commitments to increase the proportion of our students who identify as Asian or Black at Bristol and to close any gaps in attainment for these students.

Our specific recruitment programmes include:

Pre-university:

Insight into Bristol, a fully funded summer school for Year 12 students of Asian or Black heritage or a Minoritised Ethnic background.

Those who complete the programme successfully and meet the requirements of their course are eligible for a guaranteed contextual offer or interview, if they apply to Bristol.

Next Steps Bristol is an opportunity for Year 13 students of Asian or Black heritage or a Minoritised Ethnic background to experience the University through a series of virtual events.

Those who complete the programme successfully and meet the other requirements of their course are eligible for a guaranteed contextual offer or interview, if they apply to Bristol.

Destinations Conference is an event exclusively for Year 12 students of Asian or Black heritage or a Minoritised Ethnic background

This virtual programme is hosted in partnership with the University of Bristol’s African & Caribbean Society and Asian Society .

What societies at the University of Bristol exist that celebrate and represent different cultures?

At Bristol, we have more than 50 student societies, hosted by the Bristol Student Union which represent, discuss, and celebrate different cultures. These include:

The African & Caribbean Society; the East African Society; the Caribbean Society; the Somali Society; the Asian Society; ABACUS (the Association of British and Chinese University Students) or PakSoc (University of Bristol Pakistan Society), BanglaSoc (University of Bristol Bangla Society) amongst others.

Students can also engage with the Bristol SU Multifaith Network or join one of our religious societies, such as the Hindu Society, Islamic Society and the Christian Union, to name a few.

What support is available from the University to support students of Asian, Black, or racialised minority backgrounds?

We are committed to building an inclusive student community to ensure students of Asian or Black heritage or a Minoritised ethnic backgroundhave a positive university experience and sense of belonging. Some the programmes we have launched to support students include:

The Race Inclusion Advocates are current students of colour that are employed by the University to work in partnership with the University to improve the experience for students of Asian or Black Heritage and other Minoritised ethnic backgrounds. They also challenge the University on the work it does to be an Anti-racist organisation.

We offer a range of bursaries and scholarships to support our student body. This includes the Black Futures Scholarship , which are scholarships for UK applicants of Black Heritage and is intended to go towards the first year of undergraduate study and employability opportunities

The University of Bristol’s Global Lounge is a multicultural hub in the heart of campus, open to all students and staff. The Global Lounge brings people together through a vast range of social events, and cultural celebrations. Highlights from 2023 include the Open Iftar and Remembering the Bristol Bus Boycott

We have also partnered with Nilaari, a culturally appropriate counselling service, which helps to specifically support students of Asian or Black heritage and a Minoritised ethnic background. Students can receive up to six free counselling sessions.

How does the University deal with Racism?

We are committed to tackling racism and want to ensure that the University of Bristol is positive and welcoming place for students and staff from all ethnic and racial backgrounds.

We recognise that structural, systemic, and everyday racism exists in our wider society, and this is reflected in the higher education sector. We acknowledge that building a truly inclusive University requires commitment and action. Here are some of ways we are dealing with racism:

We have a robust reporting mechanism of Report and Support that offers staff and students a quick and simple way to tell us about specific incidents, with the option of anonymous reporting.

Launched our ‘Stand Up Speak Out’, a University-wide campaign to encourage students and staff to take action against bullying, harassment and other forms of unacceptable behaviour they may experience or witness.

The University has made an Institutional commitment to Anti-racism in 2020 and launched the Anti-racism Working Group to support the implementation of transformational change to dismantle systemic, cultural, and individual forms of racism wherever they exist.

Launched an anti-racism education programme for students & staff including the Being Anti-racist Lecture series to raise awareness about our individual role in dismantling racism and Union Black course to enable understanding of the origins and experience of Black British History and culture.

Announced the launch of Reparative Futures in 2023, which firmly extends and invests £10 million into dismantling all forms of racism at the University of Bristol.

What prayer spaces are available on campus?

There are several spaces on campus where students can go to pray. This includes the designated Muslim Prayer Room, located at the Coach House, 21 Woodland Road, and open to all Muslim students. This space has separate entrances for Brothers and Sisters and has suitable washing facilities. Students can request 24-hour access to this space by emailing multifaith-chaplaincy@bristol.ac.uk. There is also a large multifaith prayer room in Senate House that is available for all students and staff, during the hours of 8am-10pm. More information, please read the information from the Multifaith chaplaincy.

The Bristol Islamic society has put together a website to help Muslim students find halal food, Prayer spaces, shops, and restaurants on campus and around Bristol

Will I be able to get halal food on campus?

The University is a multicultural community, with a diverse body of students, staff and visitors who have differing religious and non-religious beliefs and ethics. We are committed to ensuring that services provided meet the needs of this diverse community. If you have any queries regarding what is on offer, drop an email to uob-catering@bristol.ac.uk and we will happily talk through your options.

Food at UoB does not operate any exclusively Halal kitchens. Our kitchens also produce dishes which are Haram. For this reason, none of our kitchens are certified by the Halal Authority and we cannot use the official Halal symbol. However, we do strive to source Halal certified or "Halal-sourced" meat for specific services and menu items in line with our recognition of the diverse needs of our customers. This includes:

Halal Chicken dishes served as standard
If a Chicken dish isn’t on the menu that evening, we will have Vegan and Vegetarian alternatives available