Warwick may be paid to be more diverse

A report that suggests universities should be paid a reward of £1,000 per head to recruit poor students with lower grades is being considered by a commission which includes Warwick’s vice-chancellor, Nigel Thrift.

Other members of the commission, set by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) include the vice-chancellors of King’s College, London and Exeter universities.

The study, written for a Commission on Higher Education, also suggests that students admitted with lower grades should not count towards a selective university’s limit on places, nor in official data used in higher education league tables.

The study takes inspiration from the United States’ Ivy League universities which looks at “contextual” information rather than just academic results, in an attempt to create more diverse student bodies.

“It is clear that pupils who have not received the support and preparation that private schools offer may go on to flourish at university, even if they have not achieved quite so well at school,” it said. “By relying on A level grades, universities may be admitting students who are less likely to get good degrees.”

The proposal highlights research from Durham, which found that state school applicants were 20 per cent less likely to get a place at a Russell Group university than a child at a private school with the same grades.

The report called the lack of diversity “a big cause for concern”, arguing that top universities recruit too few students from state schools, working-class families, poor neighbourhoods and, other than in London colleges, too few black or Asian students.

Currently Bristol, Exeter and Leeds are the only leading universities that take contextual information into account, although others including Oxford and Cambridge consider a candidate’s background when deciding whether to short-list or invite for interview.

Typically undergraduates require A-level grades of ABB or better for top universities, which the report calls an incentive to recruit wealthy candidates.

Under the proposal, 230,000 current undergraduates would be eligible for the suggested payments, most at low-tariff universities. The report argues the scheme should be funded by scrapping the government’s £150 million national scholarship programme and £318 million in grants to universities to widen their student bodies, which it said are poorly targeted.

Michael Gove, the Education Secretary, recognised the discrepancy in pupil intake but called on universities to provide better information. “In many cases independent schools have the connections to play the system while state school students lose out. Universities should provide clear and unambiguous guidance on the best preparation for their courses and then allow merit to dictate entry,” he said.

The Times reports that the proposal is expected to receive backing from the higher education commission set by the IPPR, whose members include Professors Rick Trainor, Nigel Thrift and Sir Steve Smith, vice chancellors of King’s College London, Warwick and Exeter.

Warwick was unwilling to comment on the proposal until the commission has produced its final published report.

Students’ Union Education officer, James Entwistle suggested that the proposal was only “one part of the puzzle.”

He said: “Supporting information and guidance has to be improved to ensure those able enough coming to university know how it works.

“I’m slightly disappointed that there was no mention of graduate tax, especially in regard to Ed Miliband’s recent comments. It’s equally good to see greater discussion of usage of contextual data at universities.”

However, one third year Classics student, who wished to remain anonymous, was against the proposal. “I don’t think we should live in a society where laziness is rewarded and those that work hard are punished for contributing to society,” he said.