If you’re a student, you know the struggle of browsing Pinterest for new ways to cook pasta. The most frustrating thing, however, is when you’re living with friends who seem to have an endless supply of money and suggest a Nando’s trip every week. As tempting as it is, you’re knee deep in your student loan with no end in sight. Especially as you know you’re bitterly aware of the heavy sum of debt waiting for you to graduate.
A record number of people are choosing to go to university, so you’d think students would represent every sub group possible. Nope. Ucas have announced in their End of Cycle reports the gap between rich and poor students has reached a record high. With students who received free school meals less likely to attend higher education.
Students with free school meals make up around 15% of state school students, and contribute to 60% of the most disadvantaged group of children who apply to university. So why are less going to uni?
Last year the Tory government chose to scrap student maintenance grants for pupils from lower income families, which is thought to play a massive part in the halt in poor students.
Regardless of government efforts to improve the bridge between poor and rich by improving access to education for disadvantaged young people, there is now a difference of 16.7% points. Despite more 18 year olds being offered places than previous years, including an increase in all social groups.
The UCAS analysis also showed a pre-Brexit increase in EU students accepting places at UK institutions, while overseas student numbers have dropped for the first time since 2011. They also found white, working class boys were the least likely to choose higher education, with women 35% more likely to go.
Chief executive of Ucas Mary Curnock Cook said ‘the best way to get on track to better progress is to focus efforts on improving GCSE outcomes for all children which we know is the primary driver of increased entry rates to higher education’.
‘One thing is for sure – more new grammar schools won’t make access any easier, nor increase social mobility’.
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This article originally appeared on The Debrief.