More disadvantaged students than ever apply for top degrees at best unis
More disadvantaged students than ever are applying for the most prestigious courses at the most illustrious universities. Based on data which shows how many people from certain areas normally go into higher education, Ucas has found there's been a seven percent rise in applications from the most under-represented areas.
Transcript
00:00 Degrees like medicine, dentistry and veterinary science from top British institutions like Oxford and Cambridge are highly selective with a whole list of prerequisites for admission and much earlier application deadlines than other courses and unis.
00:14 But new data collected by the Universities and Colleges Admission Service or UCAS has found that more 18 year olds from disadvantaged backgrounds than ever are putting in their bid to join the UK's most selective programmes of study at top universities.
00:28 The record numbers of students applying from areas where the fewest number of young people traditionally go to university is up by 7% says UCAS with their interim chief executive calling the figures encouraging.
00:40 Sir Peter Lample, founder and chairman of the Sutton Trust agreed but said the gap when it comes to access to selective courses has hardly shifted.
00:47 He argued that once admitted students from disadvantaged backgrounds face an uphill struggle when they are studying meaning many will endure greater levels of debt and the need to work long hours alongside their studies.
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