The University of Northampton is asking first-year students to complete an online "race equity" course, which includes writing about "how white privilege operates," as part of Freshers' Week induction before they move into halls. The course, sourced via the sector body Advance HE, is not compulsory, but students who fail to complete it receive reminder messages, and the university says non-completion does not stop anyone from starting their studies or moving into accommodation. The Free Speech Union has criticised the scheme, arguing that even a non-mandatory course sends a message that the university has taken a side on contested political issues.

The "Introduction to Race Equity" course includes a section titled "Whiteness, Privilege and Belonging," which asks students whether they were aware of how white privilege operates and its impact on Black, Asian and minority ethnic staff and students, and invites them to list actions to "improve your anti-racist practice." Advance HE's glossary defines white privilege as an "unquestioned and unearned set of advantages" given to white people, and "structural white privilege" as a system upholding racial inequality — concepts that have drawn criticism from those who dispute that all white people are privileged. The university says responses are not accessible to staff, that inclusivity is a core value alongside free speech, and that the course is an industry-standard programme offered across the sector by Advance HE, which says it does not prescribe how institutions deliver it.