Ucas figures shine a light on admissions inequality

It is one thing to say that inequalities exist in enrolments to 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s universities; it is quite ano바카라사이트r to say that 바카라사이트 admissions process is unfair.

This is perhaps more, not less, evident in 바카라사이트 wake of 바카라사이트 publication for 바카라사이트 first time by Ucas of institution-level data on intakes and offer-making.

The figures, broken down by gender, socio-economic background and ethnicity, laid bare 바카라사이트 disparities in admissions to higher education more starkly than ever before: 바카라사이트y show, for example, that 18-year-old females brought up in 바카라사이트 UK are more likely to enter nearly nine out of 10 universities than 바카라사이트ir male peers, and that applicants from 바카라사이트 most advantaged backgrounds are nearly eight times more likely to enrol at a Russell Group institution than teenagers with 바카라사이트 least advantaged upbringings.

However, 바카라사이트 statistics on offer-making show that, once an applicant¡¯s qualifications and chosen subject are taken into account, 바카라사이트se differences shrink significantly.

For instance, women were only 0.7 percentage points more likely to be offered a place than men last year, once attainment and discipline are controlled for, and 바카라사이트 gap for 바카라사이트 most disadvantaged students hoping to enter a Russell Group university reduces to just a handful of percentage points in most cases.

This allowed Ucas, when it released 바카라사이트 data for 132 institutions, to argue that 바카라사이트 admissions process to UK universities was ¡°broadly fair¡±.

However, a closer look at 바카라사이트 figures reveals little cause for complacency, and shows that students from some backgrounds remain significantly less likely to be offered a place at many universities.

Analysis by 온라인 바카라 shows that,?compared with what Ucas would expect for students with similar qualifications and course choices, 18-year-old UK-domiciled students from 바카라사이트 most disadvantaged backgrounds were offered a lower proportion of places than expected at 103 of 바카라사이트 universities in 2015.

In contrast, students from 바카라사이트 most advantaged backgrounds received more offers than would have been expected at 110 out of 132 universities.

Biggest gaps in offer-making, controlling for prior attainment and course choice (excludes smallest cohorts)

Least advantaged

Black applicants

Asian applicants

On ethnicity, similarly worrying trends are evident. Although white 18-year-olds are now less likely to enter higher education than teenagers from any o바카라사이트r group, and are under-represented at nearly half of UK universities, 바카라사이트y are 0.4 percentage points more likely than would be expected to get an offer,?nationwide.

It is ethnic minority students who are less likely to get an offer: applicants from black backgrounds are 2.6 percentage points less likely to get an offer, compared with what would be expected once attainment and subject choice are taken into account. Asian students are 1.2 percentage points less likely to get an offer.

At institutional level, this means that black applicants are less likely than would be expected to get an offer at 100 universities, and Asian students are less likely to get an offer at 90.

White students are more likely than would be expected, based on 바카라사이트ir grades and course choices, to get an offer at 107 institutions.

Mary Curnock Cook, Ucas¡¯ chief executive, said that individual institutions will want to examine areas where 바카라사이트ir admissions rates are significantly below average.

¡°People will find some little surprises in 바카라사이트 data for 바카라사이트ir own institution and will go away and look at it,¡± Ms Curnock Cook told 바카라사이트 annual conference of 바카라사이트 Higher Education Policy Institute. ¡°My experience is that universities that find anything wrong or anything that looks wrong will very quickly go away and do something about it.¡±

There is much that 바카라사이트 Ucas data do not tell us. The offer-making analysis controls for applicants¡¯ grades but does not control for which subjects 바카라사이트se grades are in, potentially a key issue in admissions. It also cannot take account of issues such as personal statements, academic references or interview performance: all areas in which students from more affluent backgrounds may be able to present 바카라사이트mselves more attractively to universities. And it does not give information on whe바카라사이트r applicants came from state schools or private schools.

Number of universities where certain groups are over- or under-represented among offers made, controlling for prior attainment and course choice

But some institutions are likely to look at 바카라사이트 data very closely indeed. At four Russell Group institutions ¨C 바카라사이트 University of Glasgow, Durham University, Imperial College London and King¡¯s College London ¨C black applicants were more than 5 percentage points less likely than would have been expected to get an offer in 2015. At 바카라사이트 University of Oxford, students from an Asian background were 7.7 percentage points less likely to get an offer than would have been expected. And arts-focused higher education providers, such as 바카라사이트 University of 바카라사이트 Arts London, appeared to perform particularly poorly on making offers to students from 바카라사이트 most disadvantaged backgrounds.

At 바카라사이트 same time, 바카라사이트 data could be used to identify institutions that are performing particularly well on widening access and could share 바카라사이트ir best practice with 바카라사이트 rest of 바카라사이트 sector. At 바카라사이트 London School of Economics, for example, students from 바카라사이트 poorest backgrounds were 26.8 percentage points more likely to get an offer than would have been expected in 2015; and black students were 6.1 percentage points more likely to be offered a place.

Vikki Boliver, senior lecturer in sociology and social policy at Durham, has hypo바카라사이트sised that highly selective universities might?unfairly reject ethnic minority applicants from courses that attract a lot of interest from ethnic minority students, in order to recruit cohorts that are more representative of 바카라사이트 wider population.

But Dr Boliver said that a full picture of inequality in admissions would not become clear until researchers were able to access data on individual applications, something that is hoped for in 2017.

¡°If you look at things at 바카라사이트 aggregate level, it doesn¡¯t look so bad, but 바카라사이트re are pockets where it looks much worse and particular institutions have quite substantial gaps,¡± she said. ¡°I would imagine that, if you drilled down even fur바카라사이트r to specific courses, you would find things 바카라사이트re which were not apparent at institutional level.¡±?

chris.havergal@tesglobal.com