Government’s plans to cap student numbers would be the “death knell for social mobility”, academics warn

The government’s plans to cap the number of students entering universities could cause a “clash of the classes”, according to academics.

Senior academics fear the government will lack support for “low quality” courses, as universities face a cap on incoming applicants.

Lee Elliot Major, professor of social mobility at the University of Exeter, said: “If you don’t expand numbers there is going to be a clash of the classes over university entrance. Limiting numbers would be the death knell for social mobility and widening access.

“The evidence suggests that we always underestimate the ability of the middle class to manoeuvre and retain their positions in society, and that includes higher education.”

The government’s plans come after the Office for National Statistics (ONS) changed the way student loans are treated within government expenditure, adding £12 billion to the deficit.

If you don’t expand numbers there is going to be a clash of the classes over university entrance. Limiting numbers would be the death knell for social mobility and widening access

Predicted increases in the number of 18-year-olds have contributed to the pressure, with the Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI) predicting 500,000 new places would need to be made available.

Nick Hillman, director of the HEPI, said: “Stopping funding for ‘low-value’ courses is a back-door way of doing that. I would back almost any policy change before that. Education is life-transforming.”

A Department for Education spokesperson said: “We want everyone who has potential to be able to access a high-quality education. However, we must not allow the credibility of our world-class universities to be damaged by pockets of low quality that do not deliver high-quality teaching or value for money.

“We support the Office for Students in using its powers where it finds providers are not working in students’ interests.”

In February, the government revealed plans to implement Ofsted-style rankings for universities. Academics have warned it could threaten arts and humanities courses, as degrees that produce lower salaries would be “labelled as failing”.