Could You Afford to Go to University Today?

With some of the most aristocratic universities having recently come under scrutiny for failing to admit sufficient numbers of students from poorer backgrounds, we need to ask ourselves and the higher education system ‘is the gap between rich and poor students still widening?’

Poorer students are restricted in their choices of universities depending on their tariff, and it goes without saying the more elite choices come with a price. Students are struggling without the option for financial support from family, and more and more, young adults are being forced to stay at home. When living away is not an option, the only choice is higher education closer to home. 

Universities themselves will pay a different price for their lack of attendance from poorer students, and it’s important to highlight restricted access to higher education by no means reflects a lack of potential. Institutions like the University of Oxford recognise this and announced last week plans for a “sea-change” in their admissions strategy, promising 25% students will come from disadvantaged backgrounds by 2023. But broadly speaking the barriers remain, the intakes of more than half the Universities in England contain fewer than 5% of white, working-class students according to a report by the National Education Opportunities Network (Neon).

Although students from disadvantaged backgrounds are more likely to go to university than ever before, the number of poorer students applying for university is rising at an alarmingly stubborn rate. The question is why? Can we be sure all students are receiving the same quality careers advice for highly competitive applications? It is imperative we have a rigorous system in place which ensures high quality careers guidance, regardless of background. The Social Mobility Commission’s recent State of the Nation 2018-19 report identifies the better off are almost 80% more likely to end up in professional jobs than those from a working-class background. The report goes on to state that even when people from disadvantaged backgrounds land a professional job, they earn 17% less than their privileged colleagues. 

With universities being forced to use contextual data and publish their acceptance rates by gender, ethnicity and background there will be no excuse for them not to take action like the University of Oxford, to drive change and improvement in their numbers of students from low-income backgrounds.

Today it has been announced following a government-commissioned review that tuition fees should be cut to £7,500 down from the current £9,250, and that loan repayments should continue for up to 40 years rather than the current 30 years. Shakira Martin, president of the NUS said it would help to address “the debt aversion caused by high fees, high living costs and the lack of maintenance grants”. However, according to the government’s own State of the Nation report, five years after graduating students who were eligible for school meals are being paid 11.5% less than their peers. The question is perhaps do we have a systemic problem in how our education system approaches equality of opportunity?

We need to see universities being more creative in creating a level playing field for all students, regardless of their financial situation; otherwise, a future of equality of opportunity could be further from our grasps than we think.