Наука и Образование: научно-техническое издание: UK: Cambridge University issues warning over poor students

Documents submitted to the Government’s Office for Fair Access confirm that the university merely hopes to maintain existing numbers of deprived undergraduates from 2012.

The move risks leading to a further breakdown in the relationship between top universities and the Coalition following claims from ministers that institutions seeking to charge £9,000 should “dramatically” increase their intake of poor students.

It represents the first official warning that the Coalition’s higher education reforms risk failing to widen access to elite universities.

Under its plans, all universities seeking to charge more than £6,000 must submit an “access agreement” to Offa outlining plans to increase participation among deprived students. This includes proposed fee-waivers and outreach programmes to attract more applications from disadvantaged communities.

Ministers have warned that universities will be barred from setting high fees unless they set challenging targets to boost access.

Nick Clegg, the Deputy Prime Minister, insisted that Cambridge would only be given permission to charge £9,000 “if they can prove that they can dramatically increase the number of people from poorer and disadvantaged backgrounds who presently aren't going”.

In its submission to Offa, Cambridge says its "principal milestone is to increase the proportion of our UK undergraduate intake from schools in the UK state sector".

But it adds: "Given the uncertainty regarding application trends in light of the new financial circumstances, our minimum objective for 2012 will be to maintain our intake profile."

Latest figures show only 59 per cent of students admitted to Cambridge in 2009 were from state schools and just one-in-10 were from poorer social groups.

A university spokesman told the Observer: "The access agreement we have submitted clearly shows that there will be a concerted drive to increase state school participation, but we must be realistic and realise that in the first year this will be a challenge."

By last week, 122 universities had submitted an access agreement to Offa, signalling that all English institutions wanted a sharp hike in fees.

Of those, it is believed around two-thirds want to charge £9,000 – the maximum amount permitted – for all courses. Poor students will be eligible to claim generous discounts.

Several others have indicated that students will be charged up to the top level for some degrees.

Source: The Telegraph
Photo: The Telegraph

scientific edition of Bauman MSTU

SCIENCE & EDUCATION

Bauman Moscow State Technical University. El № FS 77 - 48211. ISSN 1994-0408