Gap between rich and poor university students ‘remains stark’ as little evidence shows interventions work

The gap in access between poorer and more affluent students at university “remains stark” despite significant investment as there is little evidence on which interventions work best, a new report has warned.

Research by the Education Policy Institute (EPI) think tank said the sector had failed to establish a programme which clearly boosted the number of disadvantaged students attending universities.

Students from the most affluent areas were still more than twice as likely to enter higher education than those from the most deprived areas – and for the top universities, six times more likely, the research found.

These gaps persisted despite £250m being spent each year on widening access, according to the think tank.

Universities have worked harder to boost attendance of the poorest students, but there is insufficient research on the impact of schemes – like summer schools – on enrolments, the report says.

David Robinson, director of post-16 and skills at EPI and author of the report, said: “While the higher education sector has made gains in reaching out to students from disadvantaged backgrounds over the last decade, there are still huge gaps in our knowledge of which interventions work best.”

“The size of the university access gap in this country remains stark,” he added.

The report, commissioned by the Centre for Transforming Access and Student Outcomes in Higher Education (TASO), calls on the government and universities to identify which schemes work.

It says research should be conducted on the impact of summer schools and financial aid to establish whether these programmes help boost the number of disadvantaged students in UK universities.

Susannah Hume, director of TASO, said: “If the higher education sector is serious about improving social mobility, we need to act now to fill the gaps identified in this report and refocus efforts on designing and implementing programmes that are proven to work.”

Chris Millward, director for fair access and participation at the Office for Students (OfS), said “The lack of progress in reducing access gaps, despite all the work in this area, is indeed stark.”

He added: “Through our regulation, there is more pressure than ever before on universities and colleges to achieve improved outcomes for underrepresented students, but this research is right to highlight the historic lack of high-quality evidence to support them in doing this.”

A Universities UK spokesperson said: “Universities are committed to widening access to higher education and ensuring students from all backgrounds can succeed and progress.

“This includes helping students to get into university, and supporting them to flourish while they are there.

“Many have specific plans in place to deliver this – for example in England access and participation plans are usually a required commitment for institutions.

“However, it is clear that a number of challenges and disparities remain.”

Universities Minister Chris Skidmore said: “Record rates of 18 year olds are going to university, with significant increases of those from disadvantaged backgrounds reaching higher education.

“However, we know there is still much to do and we are committed to improving our understanding of the actions that work in terms of widening access to higher education across the country.

“This is why we established The Centre for Transforming Access and Student Outcomes (TASO) and welcome their work in supporting us to improve the lives of students.”