13th June 2013 9:00
By Blue Tutors
This week the Office for Fair Access (Offa) has revealed that top universities in England have made little or no progress in recruiting students from disadvantaged backgrounds over the last 5 years. Professor Ebdon from Offa has said that whilst some improvements have been made, universities are not increasing access despite their efforts to do so. The universities at the top of the league tables, such as Oxford and Cambridge, were making the least progress in widening access. As a result of this research, top universities will be asked to renew their efforts, and allocate greater funding to spend on recruiting students from poorer backgrounds.
In order to be able to charge the highest university tuition fees of £9000 a year, universities must prove that they are making reasonable attempts to improve access to higher education. This includes initiatives to attract students from poorer backgrounds, and providing financial support to poorer students whilst they study. In addition to university support, the government has created a new national scholarship scheme in order to help disadvantaged students. Last year 35,000 students benefited from this scheme, but neither this nor the access efforts of top universities have resulted in a positive picture emerging.
The Office for fair Access said that there remains a totally unacceptable participation gap between wealthy and poor students when it comes to top universities. Direct Les Ebdon commented that “where you come from is still much too closely related to where you will end up”. He called for universities to think more carefully about how they spend their money, and said that they should invest in attracting students from poor backgrounds. The Russell group, which represents the UK’s top universities, said that whilst universities are doing their best to improve access, the government must do more to address economic inequalities.