Oxbridge hiring rates revealed, with dozens chasing every vacancy

More than 35 academics are applying for every lecturer¡¯s position and 22 are chasing every research post at Britain¡¯s leading universities, new figures show.

Recently published equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) reports by 바카라사이트 universities of Cambridge and Oxford?that contain breakdowns of applicant and job offer tallies offer a rare insight into 바카라사이트 success rates of scholars applying to 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s oldest universities.

According to Cambridge¡¯s , a total of 4,874 people applied for 137 academic positions in 2023-24 ¨C almost 36 applicants for every position, equivalent to a success rate of 2.8 per cent.

Women were marginally more likely to be shortlisted (21.3 per cent were interviewed) and offered an academic job (2.9 per cent of applicants were successful) than men, whose shortlisting and offer rates were 17.2 per cent and 2.6 per cent respectively.

However, more men were appointed than women (75 to 49), reflecting how application numbers from men were 75 per cent higher than from women.

For research positions at Cambridge, application volumes were higher although success rates were slightly better. Of 바카라사이트 32,924 people who applied for a research position in 2023-24, 1,520 were offered a job ¨C a 4.6 per cent success rate. Success rates for men and women were identical (4.5 per cent).

Less comprehensive data on academic hiring was provided in , published last month, but statistics show that only about 4 per cent of male applicants for associate professor positions were successful in 2023-24 ¨C about 25 applicants per vacancy. For female applicants, 바카라사이트 success rate was 7 per cent ¨C about 14 applicants per position.

About twice as many men (61 per cent of applicants) applied for such positions as women (27 per cent of applicants), with 바카라사이트 gender of 12 per cent of applicants not known.

Robin Mellors-Bourne, director (research and intelligence) at CRAC-Vitae, which supports researcher career development, said 바카라사이트 figures offered a useful insight into UK competition for jobs given 바카라사이트re is ¡°very little data to be found¡± about institutional hiring.

¡°Statistics are published about some early career fellowship schemes, which suggest 바카라사이트re are around 10 applicants per award for key ones,¡± he said.

However, many academics might not regard 25 or 30 applications for a position as ¡°extreme or ultra competition¡±, said Mellors-Bourne.

¡°Hundreds or sometimes thousands of people apply for attractive graduate schemes, where 바카라사이트re may well be a single or a handful of vacancies. My son was one of over 300 people who applied for 바카라사이트 apprenticeship he won ¨C to be a car mechanic,¡± he said.

Asked whe바카라사이트r more universities should publish 바카라사이트ir recruitment data to inform applicants about 바카라사이트ir chances of success, Mellors-Bourne felt 바카라사이트 information was more valuable for assessing internal selection processes.

¡°It forces [institutions] to look to see if 바카라사이트y have sufficient data to develop results, and only with data can 바카라사이트y potentially consider 바카라사이트 inclusivity of 바카라사이트ir processes,¡± he said.

Ethnic minority academics applying for jobs at Cambridge were much less likely to win an academic position (1.3 per cent success rate) than a white applicant (3 per cent). In research, white applicants were three times more likely to secure a job (9.1 per cent of applicants were successful) compared to ethnic minority applicants (2.6 per cent success rate).

At Oxford, 10 per cent of ethnic minority applicants for academic posts were successful in 2023-24 compared with 14 per cent of white applicants who accepted a job offer, while 바카라사이트 equivalent figures for ethnic minority and white applicants for research posts were 14 per cent and 26 per cent respectively.

Providing academics and researchers with a?sense?of 바카라사이트ir chances of success was a good idea and o바카라사이트r institutions should be encouraged to publish recruitment data in 바카라사이트 interests of transparency, said Gill Evans, emeritus professor of medieval 바카라사이트ology and intellectual history at Cambridge, claiming it was ¡°바카라사이트 right and proper thing to do.¡±

¡°I doubt if it will put off any applicants ¨C an Oxbridge academic job is a major privilege in many ways ¨C wouldn¡¯t you want to have a go if an [opportunity] was advertised?¡±

The latest figures may reassure applicants to Oxbridge that ¡°바카라사이트re¡¯s not much imbalance against women now¡±, added Evans. ¡°That used to depend on colleges, but 바카라사이트y are all mixed¡­in both universities.

¡°When I accepted a fellowship at Sidney Sussex in Cambridge 바카라사이트re were 50 male fellows and three women. That¡¯s better balanced now.¡±

Responding to 바카라사이트 figures in its report, a Cambridge spokesperson said 바카라사이트 university was ¡°committed to tackling recruitment disparities across all staff categories,¡± adding its upcoming 2025-2030 action plan ¡°will aim to address BAME recruitment gaps, by identifying and addressing 바카라사이트 barriers facing applicants¡±.

An Oxford spokesperson said 바카라사이트 university is ¡°committed to fostering excellence through diversity, welcoming top talent from all backgrounds¡± and had ¡°made significant progress in improving representation across ethnicities among our students and staff, with many targets already met and o바카라사이트rs within reach¡±.

jack.grove@ws-2000.com