Decrease in rich-poor divide

**A study has found that the gap between rich and poor has narrowed in society.
**

The research was conducted by The Institute of Fiscal Studies (IFS) over a 5 year period between 2004/5 and 2010, and found that young people across the board were more likely to go to university –although those from poorer backgrounds still had less of a chance than their wealthier counterparts.

The study’s findings showed that despite the rise of tuition fees in 2005 from around £1000 to £3000, and again in 2009 from £3000 to £9000, the number of students applying to University has steadily increased.

Education office James Entwhistle admitted that although the University “does more than most” when it comes to encouraging people from all backgrounds to apply to Warwick, he would “like to see it do more”.

Moreover Entwhistle warned that those from lower income backgrounds may still receive support, and what we might see is “the squeeze of the middle class” when it comes to applications in the future.

With regards to the future he added that the current fees structure (interest rates/length of time to pay it back) was “unsustainable” and that it would be interesting to see “what the government is going to do”.

The author of the report, Claire Crawford said:”University participation rates have been rising over time, more quickly for students from the poorest backgrounds.”

The report does not however shed light on how the latest rise in tuition fees is affecting young people across England, and the choices they face with regards to their future. First year undergraduates this year at Warwick are the first generation to be paying the annual £9000 fees, and whilst university applications dropped across the board last year it remains to be seen what sort of impact the fees will have on the University of Warwick.

A separate study also carried out by the IFS, attacked a new scholarship fund designed to support poorer students for being too complicated. The National Scholarship Programme which was introduced this year involves £50million in state funding in addition to matched contributions from universities themselves providing additional financial support to students who need it.
The IFS study into the scholarship programme said it was “considerably more complex” with “substantial variation in the type and amount of financial support on offer”. It is claimed from Haroon Chowdry, one of the study’s authors, “this variation means it is very difficult for students to work out how much total support they might receive before they apply.”