Queen Mary students celebrated in campaign that spotlights the success of ‘first in family’ students

Jordan Marajh

• UUK’s ‘100 Faces campaign’ aims to champion and celebrate the positive impact of ‘first-in-the-family’ (FitF) graduates on the UK – including England footballer Beth Mead, Lord David Blunkett, Nobel Prize winner Sir Chris Pissarides and actor Amit Shah – in order to highlight the need for access to support, and ensure the next generation can reach their graduate potential.
• As part of the campaign, new research reveals the transformative impact of going to university on ambition (74%), with almost three quarters (73%) of FitF students agreeing their degree gave them the confidence to apply for jobs without feeling like an imposter.
• The research also highlights FitF students’ reliance on depreciating financial support – without financial support, over 4 in 10 FitF graduates couldn’t have afforded to go to university at all. This is equivalent to around 1.1 million 24–40-year-olds in England and Wales.

These findings come from extensive new research, commissioned by Universities UK, into the experiences of 6,004 UK graduates and 4,006 non-graduates, aged 24-40, from across the UK.

Jodi Taylor-Nettleton, a third-year psychology student, and Jordan Marajh, a PhD student in the School of Mathematical Sciences have been highlighted in the campaign. Jodi is featured in the influential voices category, which highlights universities across the UK that have helped to develop first generation students into leaders in politics, law and advocacy, ensuring that there is fair representation and varied voices in some of the most influential parts of society. Queen Mary alumnus Lord Simon Woolley, who completed a master's degree at Queen Mary, has also been included.

Jordan says that his mother initially suggested he apply. "She did not get the chance to [go] before she had me, and wanted to make sure I considered it as an option." Despite having to work several jobs during his A levels, Jordan enrolled at Queen Mary, graduating in 2022 with a first-class Mathematics MSci (Hons) integrated master's degree. He is now completing his PhD in Mathematical Relativity. He has this advice for other FitF students who are thinking of applying to university: "I won't play down the struggles that you may face/ have already faced. However, I will say that no matter how many times things seem daunting or hopeless, you can get through it and reach higher than you did before. The path ahead might not be linear, or may take more time to reach, but I urge you to recall the words on Sir Francis Drake's coat of arms, 'Sic parvis magna,' which loosely translates to 'greatness from humble beginnings'."

At Queen Mary, we aim to be the most inclusive university of its kind, anywhere. The profile of our domestic undergraduate students in London is distinctive for a Russell Group university and any research-leading university across the world:

• 93 per cent from state schools;
• 72 per cent BAME (black, Asian and minority ethnic);
• 46 per cent first into higher education;
• 36 per cent from households where the annual taxable income is less than £35k, qualifying them automatically for the Queen Mary University of London Bursary.
• 24 per cent eligible for free school meals

In 2022, we won the University of the Year award at the sixth annual UK Social Mobility Awards.

Support for students at Queen Mary

Queen Mary is committed to supporting our students to be able to make the most of the opportunities higher education provides. We offer:

• An annual bursary of up to £1,700 for the duration of the course, for students whose household income is below £35,000
• A hardship fund to support students who are experiencing financial hardship that might impact on their ability to participate successfully on their course (this is available to all students)
• A travel bursary for students from groups under-represented in Higher Education, providing financial assistance to support students to attend events like our Open Days
• An annual transition from care bursary of £1,500 for students in their final year (from 2021-22)
• A CLES £1500 bursary to care experienced and estranged students to help with costs during the summer vacation between academic years of a course.
• Summer Training Research Initiative to Support Diversity and Equality (STRIDE).
• A range of undergraduate and postgraduate scholarships and bursaries