Advice for underrepresented students

Additional support for students from backgrounds that are less represented in higher education.

When we refer to underrepresented students in university, we mean students who are statistically less likely to attend university. This encompasses many students from many different backgrounds and circumstances, including students:

• with a disability, mental health condition or who are neurodiverse
• who are estranged from their families
• who are care experienced
• from Black, Asian or ethnic minority backgrounds
• with caring responsibilities, including parental responsibilities
• who are refugees or asylum seekers
• from an area of deprivation
• from an area of low higher education participation
• from low income families
• who are first in their family to attend university
• who identify as LGBTQ+
• from Gypsy or Traveller backgrounds

This is not an exhaustive list. You may not have realised that you were from an underrepresented group within higher education until reading this page. You might feel that your background or circumstances do not impact on your university experience or professional career, but students from groups who are less likely to attend university can sometimes face additional challenges or barriers. Your unique experience adds value and strength to any future workforce and employers look for the skills you have acquired not only in coming to university but during your degree too. There are also additional resources and support available for you to make the most out of your time at Cardiff University.

The value of a diverse workforce

Your individual circumstances, experiences and background make you you and give you a unique perspective and view of the world. Diversity of viewpoints, skillsets and experiences is important to any organisation – it strengthens decision-making and problem-solving, as well as enhances communication and collaboration.

The Employability e-Hub, created in collaboration by Welsh universities including Cardiff University, highlights the many different skills and strengths you can bring to university life and the workplace. These include empathy, the ability to overcome difficulties and your awareness and acceptance of other cultures.

Working for inclusive employers

Employers in every industry value a diverse workforce and many employers actively express an intention and commitment to make their workplaces more inclusive. A 2024 survey by Deloitte stressed the importance to current students and recent graduates of working for employers who want to make a real social change and adopt inclusive working practices. Gen Z and millenials are increasingly more likely to reject employers whose values don’t align with their own, including those relating to inclusivity.

There are various ways you can research how inclusive an employer is:

• Check their website – check the employer’s policies on inclusivity and diversity. Does their mission or goals include any mention of diversity, inclusivity or social change?
• Look at social media channels – photos posted on company social media pages can give you a visual representation of how diverse the employer’s workforce is, as well as how meaningfully they engage with celebration events
• Recruitment processes and materials – does the employer mention being a Disability Confident employer, being proactive about making workplace adjustments or wanting to recruit candidates from a diverse range of backgrounds?
• Ask questions at interview – ask employers questions about their diversity policies and workplace culture
• Inclusive indexes – use benchmarks or recognised standards to identify how inclusive an employer is. The Inclusive Top 50 offers a list of companies who lead in promoting inclusion in the UK. There are many other benchmarks or measures that relate to how employers support specific candidates or employees, for example the Disability Confident scheme, Stonewall’s Equality Index and the Social Mobility Employer’s Index

If you’re someone who is particularly passionate about making a difference in equality, diversity and inclusion yourself, read more about the careers that exist in this field on Prospects and TargetJobs.

Support from the university

At Student Futures, if you are from an underrepresented group within higher education, you may be eligible for support from Career Confident. Career Confident supports eligible students who may not feel confident about securing work experience or employment. The team will work with you one-to-one to understand your career aims, commitments and availability to create a tailored development plan, consisting of employability support and bespoke work experience tailored to meet your needs. Career Confident can support both students and recent graduates – you can register your interest in your Student Futures Account and meet with a Project Officer to discuss how you could benefit from additional employability support. If you’re not sure if you are from an underrepresented group within higher education, please get in touch anyway and we can direct you to other sources of support.

During your time at Cardiff University, you have access to extensive support and advice relating to equality, diversity and inclusion including:

• An overview of how the university is inclusive
• Together at Cardiff – advice and support for students who are care experienced, estranged, military experienced, carers or asylum seekers
• LGBTQ+ students – specific support for students who identify as LGBTQ+
• Support for ethnic minority students – specific support for Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic students

Employability e-Hub

You can access further tailored support for underrepresented students on the Employability e-Hub, a pan-Wales resource created by universities across Wales, including Cardiff University.