Working-Class People in UK Higher Education: Precarities, Perspectives and Progress

Winner of the 2026 Working-Class Studies Association Jake Ryan and Charles Sackrey Award

In recent years, UK higher education (HE) has sought to pursue more inclusive practices. However, we are yet to fully understand the experiences of a breadth of working-class people in HE. This edited collection uniquely brings together working-class reflections in the different roles and professions that exist in UK universities.

Focusing on understudied groups including working-class academics, students, professional services, administrative staff, ancillary workers and parents, the chapters explore definitions of class, reflections of classism, class-based experiences, inequalities, and theory in conjunction with roles and professional experiences. Guided by a collaborative and community oriented editorial process which embodies the ethos of working-class communities, the collection focuses on five main section areas: academics, students and student journeys, pedagogy, teaching & learning, non-academic staff in HE, and a final section dedicated to practical steps for the future.

A first of its kind, observing the experiences of working-class people across the breadth of UK higher education, this is a breath of fresh air on this subject. It is compelling reading for sociological researchers of class and society, academics across disciplines who have shared lived experiences, those in higher education management and those who work with social class and social mobility in industry.