Cambridge University 'admits more state school students'

By Graeme Paton, Education Editor

Almost two-thirds of British students with places at the ancient institution this autumn are from state-funded schools and colleges, it was revealed. Numbers are up from just 58 per cent a year earlier.

At the same time, the proportion of places turned over to pupils from fee-paying schools has slumped to their lowest level since the early 80s.

Cambridge hailed the figures today as proof that the university was seeking out students with the greatest “potential” to succeed – irrespective of school or social background.

It comes as the university prepares to offer one of the most generous packages of bursaries and grants in Britain to soften the blow of a near tripling of tuition fees this year. Like most top universities, it will charge £9,000-a-year for undergraduate degrees.

But the disclosure is bound to fuel the debate over the “social engineering” of university admissions.

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Which university has most public school pupils? 30 Jul 2012

It comes just weeks after Prof Les Ebdon, the new head of the Office for Fair Access, warned that highly-selective universities would be required to set “challenging” targets to boost admission rates among students from disadvantaged backgrounds.

In a speech on Thursday, the headmaster of one of Britain’s leading independent schools will warn that university admissions policies are driving growing numbers of bright, privately-educated teenagers to institutions in the United States.

Andrew Halls, head of King’s College School, Wimbledon, will say that British universities are coming under such pressure to “level the playing field” that academics now fail to take applicants’ extra-curricular activities, such as music, sport and community work, into consideration for fear of favouring the middle-classes.

Speaking before the school’s annual US universities conference, he said: “UK universities are so preoccupied with a level playing field, not least after 10 years of wheedling or even bullying by senior politicians, that they simply do not dare to give credit to an applicant who has led their school, played a huge part in a wider community, captained a team or performed a main role in the school play.

“All the indicators that someone will actually be a generous and contributing citizen… seem to be anathema to leading UK universities for the simple reason they may advantage the middle-class.”

According to Cambridge, 63.3 per cent of British students admitted in 2012/13 are from state schools, compared with 58 per cent last year. At the same time, independently-educated students have dropped from 42 to 36.7 per cent.

It represents a fall of almost 200 in the number of private school students – from 1,087 to 892.

Cambridge said the move followed the introduction of new links between the university and schools, investment in a summer school for teenagers from the state system and a focus on raw exam marks achieved at 16 and 17 – instead of teachers’ predicted grades.

All universities are now expected to set targets to increase admissions among pupils from state schools or poor backgrounds in returning for charging up to £9,000 in fees. Cambridge’s state school target stands at between 61 and 63 per cent.

Dr Mike Sewell, Cambridge’s director of admissions, said: “The long-term impact of higher fees remains unknown. However, we are confident that the University of Cambridge offers one of the best undergraduate educations in the world.

“We hope that any student with the ability and the appetite to succeed here will submit an application.”