26th November 2013 9:00
By Blue Tutors
New research published by the Sutton trust has shown that working-class students are far less likely to attend top universities than their wealthier peers, even if they have achieved the same top grades. Children whose parents are in professional or managerial positions are more than three times as likely to attend top universities. The research determined that social class significantly affect the chances a child has of attending a top university, and that the different between social classes and university attendance was only in part down to academic ability. The report concluded that 27% of the difference in admission between social classes was not due to academic achievement.
Authors of the report based at the Institute for Education in London determined that although academic achievement played a significant role, a substantial element of the equation remained unexplained. The data suggests that there are significant numbers of working class students who choose not to apply to top universities or are not being admitted even though they have the necessary academic record. Examining the data, the Russell Group of top British universities said that much needed to be done to improve access and encourage bright working class students to apply to top institutions. It was suggested that bright working class students needed to be targeted and encouraged from as young as thirteen or fourteen in order for them to consider applying to top universities.
The Sutton Trust also expressed concerns that not only were working class students not applying, but that those who did were often not successful even though they had achieved the necessary grades. The trust runs summer schools for non-privileged students from state schools in order to prepare them for applications to top universities, but concerns remain that students’ lack of access to extra-curricular activities and cultural educational opportunities means that their applications do not stand out. Further, the report found that limited financial help currently exists to assist working class students with the rising costs of a degree, a factor which affects many students’ decisions to apply.