Universities accused of social engineering

UK universities have been accused of social engineering after drawing up admissions schemes that favour applicants from poorer backgrounds. Four institutions – Edinburgh, Leeds, Bristol and Birmingham – have devised systems that boost the grades of applicants from low-income homes, writes Daniel Martin for Daily Mail.

In some cases, this can see a disadvantaged applicant with three Bs at A level winning a place over a privately educated applicant with three A*s. Critics said the system could discriminate against middle-class children whose parents have sacrificed a lot to give them a good education.

Ministers have previously urged universities to consider backgrounds – or “the contextual data” – when deciding whether to offer a place, and most do this on a case-by-case basis. But the latest plans are different – and more controversial – because they give each applicant a numerical score based partly on social background.
Full report on the Daily Mail site