The number of young people attending university is higher than ever before, having increased by a quarter since the 1990s. However, despite an increase in applications for higher education from all areas, those from wealthy backgrounds are still three times more likely to go than those from poorer backgrounds.
The University and College Union (UCU) has blamed the scrapping of grants for further education college students and cuts to careers advice for the ever increasing social gap in university applications. Programmes aiming to encourage those from a disadvantaged background to attend university have also been axed under recent budget cuts.
UCU general secretary Sally Hunt said in a press release: ÔÇ£ItÔÇÖs good news that there are more young people from the full range of social backgrounds going to university than ever before, but where someone has grown up still affects their future aspirations.ÔÇØ
It is clear that a major contributing factor to the income gap in applications is the rise in tuition fees and the perception it created in many young people of university being completely unaffordable. This is shown by the marked drop in applications in England in 2012 (some 15000 students) not being reflected in other UK countries such as Scotland and Wales which did not raise their fees.
A suggested way for universities to become more inclusive is to provide more resources for part time students who often study whilst also having a full time job and often come from more disadvantaged backgrounds than direct entrants straight from sixth form colleges. Part time applications dropped by 40% over the last 2 years due to a perceived lack of value for money after the rise in fees and recent cuts to loans available to part time students.
Measures taken to address these problems could lead to a much more equal balance of students from all social backgrounds and maybe begin to lessen the ever growing inequality in further education.
Meryon Roderick
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