Evaluating an LGBTQ+ awarding gap and supporting our queer student community: An intersectional perspective (Phase 1)

Project leader(s):  Willow Neal Emmanuel Zuza

• Theme:  Access, Participation and Success
• Project faculties:  STEM FASS
• Status:  Archived
• Date:  June 2024 to August 2025

LGBTQ+ people constitute a marginalised group that experiences ongoing discrimination.  This is despite progress towards legal and social acceptance in some countries. Such discrimination contributes to increased rates of mental health difficulties, which may, in turn, affect academic performance and outcomes. Intersecting characteristics, such as race, disability, and socio-economic background, can further compound these challenges, increasing inequality in educational attainment. Our study examined ten years of the Open University’s degree awarding data across all Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics degrees (STEM), aiming to identify whether a disparity exists in final degree classification between LGBTQ+ students and their cisgender, heterosexual peers. To date, no such research has been conducted for LGBTQ+ students in higher education. Using proportional odds logistic regression models, we found LGBTQ+ students have a 55% lower chance of getting a good degree classification than their non-LGBTQ+ peers, independent of intersecting traits. Our analysis also revealed LGBTQ+ students are more likely to report having a disability or a mental health condition, highlighting this group’s additional support needs. Furthermore, we observed significant underreporting of LGBTQ+ identities in student data, presenting a major challenge for both research and institutional policymaking. This underreporting may mask the inequality’s extent, and limit the effectiveness of targeted interventions. Overall, these findings underscore the need for more inclusive data practices, stronger institutional support for LGBTQ+ students, and continued efforts to close the awarding gap. Improving data accuracy and representation is essential to ensuring that this marginalised community receives equitable opportunities and appropriate support within higher education.

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