26 September 2003
Universities may grant places to under-performing students from socially disadvantaged families if proposals included in a higher education discussion document are taken forward.
A discussion paper brought out by the Admissions to Higher Education Steering Group this week is asking for views on whether a student's social and economic background should be taken into consideration when offering university places.
Opinion is also sought on whether A-level results should be the main determinant of a student's academic potential.
The paper marks the first step of a two-phase consultation programme, which will draw up a series of principles for English higher education institutions to adopt to make their admission systems fairer. Final recommendations are due to be delivered to the education secretary by next May.
Professor Steven Schwartz, vice-chancellor of Brunel University and leader of the steering group, said the paper deliberately set out more questions than answers and called for a widespread public response.
Options put forward for additional assessment criteria include extra tests, similar to the US's Scholastic Assessment Tests (Sats), applicant interviews, assessment of motivation, enthusiasm or ambition, and consideration of personal information such as family background and income.
Schwartz said: 'The steering group's goal is thoroughly to investigate the options available to [higher education institutions] to help ensure admissions procedures are fair and transparent – to the benefit of all.'
But the proposals have already attracted criticism, with some in the independent sector suggesting that favouring disadvantaged pupils over their better-off counterparts smacked of 'social engineering'.
Student representatives were also cautious in their response to the review. Leigh Bissett, a second-year medical student and chair of the British Medical Association's student committee, welcomed attempts to make the student balance more representative.
But he warned that top-up fees would deter many poorer students from applying to university in the first place.
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