University offers: Trust rejects social engineering claims

Independent 20 August 2022

Using data on a student’s background to give university places is about making “the existing system fairer”, a social mobility charity in the United Kingdom said, as figures showed offer rates are higher this year for pupils from areas with the lowest proportion of progression to higher education, writes Aine Fo for the Independent.

Offer rates in these areas for UK 18-year-olds are at 74.5%, compared with 73% in areas with the highest proportion of young people moving on to higher education, according to data from the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS). UCAS has also taken into account data on free school meals – an indicator of disadvantage – in offers, for the first time this year.

This year’s offer rate figures led to claims of “social engineering” in favour of students from disadvantaged areas. This was rejected by Dr Rebecca Montacute, senior research and policy manager at the Sutton Trust, a social mobility charity.
Full report on the Independent site

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