Access to Higher Education

John Denham, Universities Secretary, announced on Tuesday that all universities will be forced to reveal their admissions policies. This comes amid recent accusations of there being unfair practices in place, claiming that some universities are favouring applicants from privileged backgrounds, while others are said to be engaged in what is being called ‘social engineering’, granting easier access to students from state schools coming from the poorest backgrounds.

The Universities Secretary hopes to restore confidence in the system and has given the Office of Fair Access (Offa) the authority to scrutinise the admissions policies currently in place. There is a possibility that financial penalties will be imposed on those found guilty of unfair practice. I believe that it is very important to guarantee that transparency and accountability exist in the admissions process. Students should be able to feel confident that their application will be looked at in the same manner as all other applications, with the same standards being applied across the board.

However, one thing is to ensure that admissions procedures are fair and another is dealing with the issue of how tuition fees are becoming a significant obstacle for students wishing to attend. An article published by the Guardian on the 14^th of February entitled “Tuition fees favour the rich”, revealed how many students are deciding not to attend because of anxiety over money. Many young people fear the high amount of debt that they will end up accumulating in order to finance their years pursuing higher education.

If the government is really serious about widening university participation, it needs to find a way to support and reach out to those who meet academic requirements but who are staying away because of money. Not only does there need to be more bursaries and scholarships, the already existing ones need to be made more accessible, clear and straightforward. Going into debt shouldn’t be the only the option, even though borrowing money can certainly be seen as a smart investment.