Scottish students at the University of Edinburgh are pushing back against what they see as pervasive classism and discrimination at the renowned institution. Tired of facing alienation and microaggressions, they’ve launched a new society aimed at providing community for Scottish and working-class students while advocating for cultural change on campus.
The Edinburgh University Social Mobility Society was founded by Shanley Breese, a law student who says she immediately encountered demeaning comments about her Scottish accent and vocabulary upon starting her degree. With Scottish students making up only about a quarter of the university’s population, most coming from working-class backgrounds, Breese says they are very much a minority amidst the largely affluent student body drawn from the rest of the UK and overseas.
A culture of snobbery?
Shanley Breese and other Scottish students report a campus culture steeped in subtle and not-so-subtle classism:
- Disparaging remarks about popular affordable clothing brands like Primark and TK Maxx
- Fellow students openly equating wealth with intelligence and hard work
- Demeaning comments and questions about Scottish accents, leaving some afraid to speak up
- Student publications like The Tab Edinburgh joking that the lack of Scottish students is “as God intended”
This type of discriminatory environment leaves many feeling like outsiders, says Breese. “It meant that I didn’t participate in my tutorials.”
University response falls short
The University of Edinburgh has started to acknowledge the issue, publishing guidance on its stance against classism. Tips include “Don’t be a snob!” and reminders to “be curious about [people’s] interests and aspirations rather than their background.”
But Breese and others say this framing misses the mark, making classism seem like individual quirks rather than a systemic issue. Freya Stewart, a social anthropology student, notes that university staff often aren’t even familiar with the Scottish qualification system most domestic students come through.
“It really was tone deaf. It’s making it like a personality quirk of the students at Edinburgh, rather than a structural, kind of systemic issue … it kind of feels patronising.”
– Shanley Breese, co-founder of the Edinburgh University Social Mobility Society
An economic divide
Part of the problem, the society argues, is an economic gap between Scottish students, who are more likely to come from working-class areas targeted by the university’s “Widening Access” program, and their generally much wealthier peers from England and abroad.
Because the Scottish Government covers tuition for Scottish students, universities cap their numbers, filling most slots with full-fee paying students from elsewhere. At Edinburgh, that means a student population overwhelmingly drawn from privileged backgrounds.
Breese says that while she’s grateful for her place at the prestigious university, there’s little support once students like her arrive on campus. “They helped me get here but once I was here I was kind of left, that’s how it felt, and that is what affects the feelings of alienation.”
Pushing for change
The Edinburgh University Social Mobility Society hopes to change that. By providing community and advocating for more dedicated guidance for Scottish students, they want to make the university a more welcoming place for all.
The university says it has a “Dignity and Respect” policy outlining behavioral expectations and has introduced a new student support model in response to feedback. But the students behind the Social Mobility Society think deeper cultural change is still needed to root out classism and make the university a place where everyone can thrive, regardless of background.
Their mission to build a more inclusive environment spotlights both progress and remaining challenges in widening access to elite higher education. For Shanley Breese and her peers, it’s a deeply personal fight for equity and belonging at an institution they’ve earned their place in.
