Students’ backgrounds still cap potential, says OfS

There is an “iron chain” making it harder for students in England to go to university, the director for fair access and participation at the Office for Students has said.

Speaking at a briefing organised by the Higher Education Policy Institute on 27 February, Chris Millward said that although some progress had been made on improving access to higher education in the past decade, students’ economic and social backgrounds still played a significant role.

He explained that the proportion of students from disadvantaged backgrounds accessing higher education had crept up from 10 per cent of all students 10 years ago to 11 per cent today, dropping to a rise from 6 to 7 per cent at the most selective institutions.