Mahalia Hamid said she and her friends were told they could not enter Volt as they "did not fit the criteria".
She said she then stood by and watched as groups of white people walked into the club.
In response, Volt told the BBC it had always "welcomed a diverse audience", including people of different races.
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"To find me and my friends do not fit the criteria for a night out, we couldn't believe it," said Miss Hamid.
"I felt as if I was not good enough or white enough."
Miss Hamid had hoped to celebrate her 24th birthday at the city centre nightclub on 28 January, and paid Â£300 to pre-book a VIP table through a promoter.
"We were basically left there without any explanation, apart from we do not fit the criteria of the night," she said.
"Looking at the other guests, looking at ourselves, the only criteria that we didn't fit was our skin colour."
A female member of staff gave the group their Â£300 back.
Volt said: "The lady responsible for these accusations has attended the venue numerous times previously without any issues, and it was only the four males in the group that were refused, due to dress and security concerns."
In response, Ms Hamid said the entire group was refused entry, and they were all "dressed to the nines".
There was no mention of their clothes being a problem on the night, she added, and other customers were allowed in despite wearing T-shirts, caps and trainers.
Nottinghamshire Police said in a comment: "We received a report of a hate incident alleged to have happened at a premises in Broadway, Nottingham, on Saturday 28 January 2017. Our inquiries are ongoing."
Police are investigating a Nottingham nightclub for an alleged hate crime incident after a group of predominantly black people were refused entry.