Oxford fees ‘deter poorest postgrads’

Researchers at the University of Oxford push for postgraduate application fees to be scrapped

Postgraduate hopefuls from low-income backgrounds are being deterred from applying to the University of Oxford by application charges, researchers at the university have claimed.

“For many people from low-income or non-traditional backgrounds, [postgraduate application fees] are a financial barrier, clear and simple,” said Benjamin Fernando, a researcher and postgraduate representative for the university’s mathematical, physical and life sciences division. “For others, especially those for whom ‘Oxbridge’ is something unfamiliar, it’s taken as an indicator that the universities are expensive and that getting a place is an unattainable goal.”