The University of Edinburgh has long struggled with a culture of elitism. In November of 2024, the University warned students not to be “snobs” towards students from Scottish and working-class backgrounds, acknowledging long-standing issues with prejudiced and elitist attitudes. As of 2026, almost one in three University of Edinburgh students come from private schools – a startling figure when considering that only around six per cent of UK students attend private schools. With such a high proportion of privately educated students, it is no surprise that elitism is such a pressing issue in Edinburgh.
Leading the charge against class-based prejudice at the University of Edinburgh is Tackling Elitism, a “grassroots organisation designed for and by widening participation students, where we can share experiences of elitism and build a community.” The Student spoke with the organisation’s president, Lily, to learn about the organisation, its aims, and why this issue is so important.
Lily describes Tackling Elitism as an organisation raising awareness of the culture of elitism at the university, while also practically “fighting for a better situation” for widening participation students. She emphasised the desire of the group to “make a change [and] get ourselves into the rooms where the discussions are happening with staff.”
Building a space where widening participation students can “feel like they really have a place [at the university]” is one of the paramount aims of Tackling Elitism: “Community is definitely at the forefront of our approach,” said Lily. “We want to create a welcoming space.” Having an informal, open environment is a priority: “creating the spaces where people just feel comfortable to come whenever they want, leave whenever they want is something that’s really important.”
Memberships for Tackling Elitism are free, a decision that Lily described as being a “no-brainer” for the committee: “Having a free membership is very important to attract members and create a safe space where they don’t have to worry about the financial costs of [a society membership].” Events are also run on different days and different times rather than having a set meeting time each week, to allow those who work to be able to attend events. “If you work on a Wednesday evening every week, you can never go to this one society’s things that are always on a Wednesday,” Lily explained. Dismantling barriers like this, which many students may not have even considered, is a key part of Tackling Elitism’s approach – removing obstacles that widening participation students face, but aren’t often talked about.
Lily also emphasised how enjoyable social events are: “We kind of advertise them as come and speak if you’ve got any issues. It usually just ends up in people speaking about their experiences and making new friends because of that.”
“Not everything has to be about the doom and gloom of being a widening participation student – because it’s not all bad,” she continued.
Lily’s experience of prejudice at the university spurred her to join Tackling Elitism: “I found it very hard arriving at the university that had this elitism problem that nobody really spoke about.” She described the awkwardness of being forced to admit in a tutorial that she couldn’t afford a train ticket home when asked by the tutor where she was going for “skiing week” – a term for reading weeks used by those who allocate the time for ski holidays.
Confidence seems to be a big part of the problem; comments overheard by Lily, such as “students from state school aren’t going anywhere,” can cause more damage than some realise. These sorts of ill-considered remarks lead to the othering of students who don’t come from wealthy backgrounds, causing some to develop a kind of “imposter syndrome.” Tackling Elitism aims to support students who may be feeling this way, with Lily emphasising: “Widening participation students have all got a place here at the university, same as every other student.”
The university clearly has a role to play in preventing elitist culture and supporting widening participation students. Rather than leaving it to those affected to push for change, Lily believes the university itself should be doing more: “If students are in an institution, I think that the institution should work to protect them.”
Ultimately, it is apparent widening participation students don’t receive the support they should from the university, especially considering Edinburgh’s uniquely high proportion of privately educated students. This is why, in Lily’s words, Tackling Elitism exists: “To create changes in the way that the university is run and to make it a more inclusive space for widening participation students.” Tackling Elitism also runs a blog where individuals can share their thoughts and experiences of elitism; Lily urges anyone interested to get in touch and write a blog post.
More information about Tackling Elitism can be found on the EUSA website or on Instagram at @tacklingelitism.
Image provided by Lilybet Perry