Race Equality Charter

The University joined the Advance HE's Race Equality Charter in 2016 and received the REC Bronze award in November 2019. We successfully renewed our award in February 2026.

The Race Equality Charter (REC) is a national scheme that provides a framework for higher education institutions to recognise, investigate and challenge barriers to recruitment, progression and retention of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic staff and students. 

Key Documents

  

We are delighted to announce that the University has successfully renewed its Bronze Race Equality Charter (REC) Award for the next five years. This achievement reflects an institutional-wide effort, with contributions from each of the six Schools, the Colleges, Non-School Institutions, and external partners such as Cambridge City Council. The University received its first Bronze REC Award in 2019, and we are among nearly 100 U.K. higher education institutions who have signed up for the charter.

Renewal of the award highlights the progress that we have made in making our University more welcoming and inclusive, including improvements in attracting and retaining Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic (B.A.M.E.) staff and students. The University was commended for its intersectional analysis of staff and student issues, “engaged strategic leadership support for race equality”, and “willingness to confront historical inequalities and embed race equality work into its research and community engagement activities” via initiatives such as the Legacies of Enslavement inquiry and the Black Advisory Hub.

Professor Kamal Munir, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for University Community and Engagement, and one of the co-chairs for the REC Self-Assessment Team said: “Renewing the Race Equality Charter Award allowed stakeholders across the University to have open and honest discussions about the past, present, and future of race equality at Cambridge. These discussions were aimed at ensuring the University can attract and retain the best talent and informed by quantitative and qualitative data gathered since our first award in 2019. As a result, we were able to identify several pressing issues impacting our B.A.M.E. staff and students such as the lack of B.A.M.E. staff in senior positions. I look forward to working closely with our stakeholders over the coming years to address these issues.”

While this award demonstrates progress, we recognise more work remains. Our application and accompanying 2025-2030 action plan provide a framework for how we will address the barriers facing B.A.M.E. staff and students, while also referencing Freedom of Speech and Academic Freedom throughout to ensure this work enables us to recruit the best talent whatever their background.

Key Priorities and Actions for Race Equality for the Next Five Years

A Race Equality Steering Group has been established to implement the action plan. Key areas of work include:

Priority 1: Embedding responsibility for race equality across the University

  • Supporting local institutions to develop and uphold racially inclusive policies and practices
  • Further training investigators involved in race‑related staff grievances

Priority 2: Improving B.A.M.E. representation at senior levels and in governance structures

  • Identifying and addressing recruitment barriers that limit B.A.M.E. applicants for professorial roles
  • Understanding barriers in recruitment for senior Academic and Professional Services roles

Priority 3: Improving staff recruitment, support, and belonging (staff pipeline and experience)

  • Further reducing the University’s pay gaps
  • Investigating the causes of disparities in fixed‑term and open‑ended contracts

Priority 4: Improving student admission, support, and belonging (student pipeline and experience)

  • Addressing race‑related disparities in undergraduate and postgraduate admissions
  • Promoting evidence‑based, research‑led understanding of the ethnicity awarding gap

If you have any questions about the University's Race Equality Charter application or related work, please email equality@admin.cam.ac.uk