27th August 2013 9:00
By Blue Tutors
The Office of Fair Access has said that British Universities are guilty of middle-class bias after it was revealed that many are unwilling to take the ‘risk’ of accepting low income students who are more likely to drop out. The watchdog warned that universities seeking to maximise their income were more likely to admit middle-class students from families who are able to support them financially. Offa head Professor Les Ebdon said that universities are ‘missing a lot of excellence’ in choosing wealthier students over bright students from disadvantaged backgrounds. He said that the government must maintain funding for universities which encourages them to accept students from poorer backgrounds.
The statement comes after the £327 million student opportunity allocation which helps universities fund poorer students was cut by 10% by chancellor George Osborne. The Office for Fair Access said the situation was likely to deteriorate further as the chancellor has announced further cuts of £45 million to higher education funding. The student opportunity allowance is described as a vital counterweight to middle class bias, and allows universities to support students who suffer from financial hardship during their studies. Without this financial support, universities know that the dropout rate amongst students from poorer backgrounds is likely to be considerably higher, and therefore are more likely to accept well-off students. The costs associated with taking students from poorer backgrounds are multiple, and include access and outreach activities, additional pastoral care and hardship funds to provide students with financial support whilst studying.
Last week figures emerged which showed that two thirds of privately educated A’ Level students went on to study at Britain’s top universities, compared with less than a quarter of those from the state sector. As study of Britain’s poorest families showed that they were half as likely to take a higher education course at all as their wealthier peers. Universities are required to take steps to improve access to education, a factor which is important in gaining permission to charge the highest tuition fees. However, the massive cuts to the fund which allows them to encourage applications from disadvantaged students is likely to mean that middle-class bias in academic selection will continue.