Claire Lucas grew up in Cumbria as the daughter of a lorry driver and a housewife. Many of her friends and classmates left school to work at a local factory. Despite her parents not attending university, Lucas decided that she wanted to obtain a degree. With the help of her teachers at Nelson Thomlinson school in Wigton, she gained enough confidence to apply to Oxford University for engineering. After she was accepted, she realized the significant difference in social class between her and her peers. She noticed that most students at the JCR and the union had experience in leadership, which made them different than normal working-class people. Some could not afford to attend university trips or live in houses bought by their parents. However, Lucas adapted and acclimated well into the community with the support of patient tutors.
Although it is no secret that prestigious universities have a low percentage of students from working-class backgrounds, a survey on over 150 institutions shows the extent of the problem. The analysis results revealed that eight out of ten universities with low working-class student population belonged to the prestigious Russell Group of research-intensive institutions. Lucas attributed her fortunate background to her school and the mixed occupied students, including those from professional middle-class backgrounds.
Oxford is the lowest in a table of universities categorized with 11.5% of its intake coming from working-class families, followed by Cambridge at 12.6% and Bristol at 14.2%. Out of the universities at the bottom 10, only Durham and Bath were not part of the Russell Group. The average working-class student rate across all universities in the country was 32.3%, while students from routine and manual occupations make up 37% of the UK’s population. Though the data from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (Hesa) only covers the students who began full-time education in 2008-2009, long-term unemployed students are still underrepresented.
Director-general of the Russell Group, Dr Wendy Piatt, defends its members, stating that the "underlying cause" of the problem began before university. Piatt believes that too few students receive the support and encouragement needed to aim for prestigious universities, and the low aspirations, lack of guidance, and under-achievement in school prevent their participation. "We are also concerned by evidence that some teachers may not be encouraging their students to consider Russell Group universities. Research shows that pupils from top independent schools make twice as many applications to the most selective universities as their equally well qualified peers from the best comprehensive schools. We can’t offer students places if they don’t apply for them."
Analysis by Education Guardian discovered that the choice of the subject plays a significant role in socio-economic background. The subjects least often chosen, with just 18.2% of the students coming from working-class families, are medicine, dentistry, and veterinary science. Historical and philosophical studies (24.2%) and languages (25.9%) were the subjects with the lowest figures. However, experts who are not part of the Russell Group believe that the problem does not lie solely within the school level, and that universities should share some responsibility. Professor of Education at the Institute of Education, Miriam David, claims that top universities value traditional subjects from specific schools, causing the group to maintain their elite standard. Some admission tutors tend to stick only to the familiar for fear of potential risks presented by working-class students. David believes that selective universities should revise their selection criteria.
A survey carried out by OpinionPanel and the University of Leicester last week found that 14% of students from low-income families would not apply to universities if fees were to increase from £3,290 to £7,000. This compared to just 9% of those from more affluent backgrounds. The Browne review of fees and finance, the findings of which are set to be released next month, has raised the possibility of higher fees. A report from the Office of Fair Access last week said that attempts by top universities to offer large bursaries to attract more students from deprived backgrounds had proved unsuccessful. The Russell Group and Universities UK however claim that universities are taking the broader context of an applicant’s background into account during the admissions process. A May report by the Office of Fair Access showed that without programmes aimed at expanding student intake, the number of disadvantaged students in highly selective universities would have fallen. A survey by the Higher Education Funding Council for England showed that in the last five years the proportion of students from disadvantaged areas going to university rose by 30%.
The universities that perform best in terms of social access tend to be considered less prestigious. In fact, London Metropolitan University, which ranked bottom in the Guardian’s most recent University Guide, topped the league table for social representation with 57.2% of its students coming from working-class families. Greenwich came second with 55.5%, while Bradford (an old institution) was fifth and Ulster was tenth. There were no Scottish universities in the top ten. Recent research by Education Guardian revealed that majors in education were the most preferred by those from working-class backgrounds, followed by agriculture and computer sciences. However, these majors are less likely to be offered by Russell Group universities.
Some experts argue that working-class students lack the necessary support they need in order to understand their subject matter choices fully. Many of these students attend institutions such as the University of Bolton, which offers engineering and ICT courses that tend to cater to working-class students. Roughly 50% of the university’s 13,000 students are from working-class backgrounds and 99.7% of students come from state schools. Deputy Vice-Chancellor Professor Peter Marsh says that this diversity is the result of targeted policies as well as the subjects offered. Bolton offers foundation and access courses, and has strong relationships with 26 partner schools and colleges across Greater Manchester, many of which are offered bursaries, visits and taster sessions. Without Bolton’s specific support and encouragement, Marsh believes that many of his students would not have applied.
Charlin Deugoue, age 14, is one of many who is considering applying to Bolton. He currently attends Philips high school in Whitefield and recently visited the university as part of a national programme called AimHigher, which supports applications from more diverse student backgrounds. He will be the first in his family to attend university, but the immediate question, of course, is whether he can afford it. His parents are Cameroonian immigrants who are now unemployed, so paying tuition fees is a concern for Charlin’s family. Despite this, he is committed to attending university. The last government failed to meet its target of getting 50% of young people to attend university, and there is concern that poorer students will suffer as competition for places increases. The future of AimHigher, which has offered financial and academic support to diverse applicants, remains uncertain under the coalition government. With 150,000 applicants failing to obtain university places this year, working-class students could be the hardest hit.
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