Care leaver university entry-gap ‘would take 100 years to close’

Care leavers make up just 0.4 per cent of students at elite UK universities, according to new research – and it will take more than 100 years for them to close the entry rate gap entirely.

Researchers at the thinktank Civitas found that graduating from university can significantly boost care leavers’ prospects, but many of the top institutions, including Imperial College London and the University of Oxford, admit very few of these types of students.

Analysis of data from the Higher Education Statistical Authority (Hesa) by Civitas showed there were 15,555 undergraduates who had previously been in care in 2021-22 – 0.8 per cent of the student population.

At 2.6 per cent (295 students), the University of East London had the highest proportion of care leavers in its student body – when specialist and small institutions were excluded.

This was followed by the University of Northumbria (2.4 per cent), the University of the West of Scotland, the University of Stirling and the University of Suffolk (all 2 per cent).

However, among the 24 members of the Russell Group, just 0.4 per cent of undergraduates were care leavers.

Just four of this group had a proportion of care leavers within the top 100 overall, while six occupied the bottom 10 spots.

With just five students – representing less than 0.1 per cent of its population – the University of Oxford had the lowest rate of all large providers, the report claims. The university contested these figures, pointing to separate data from the Student Loans Company that showed it had 19 students who were care leavers in 2021-22.

This figure would still put Oxford in the bottom 10, however, although the researchers note that the university has since launched a radical scheme to open up the institution to care leavers and other potential students from disadvantaged backgrounds.

A university spokesperson said it was “committed to supporting students from a care background and ensuring that finance is not a barrier for talented students who want to pursue study here”. They highlighted the support the institution offers including a care experienced bursary of up to £3,000 per year.

Analysis by Civitas of separate figures from the Department for Education (DfE) showed that when they did make it to university, care leavers were more than twice as likely to attend a “low-tariff” university rather than a “high-tariff” one.

Just 90 young people who had spent more than a year in care before the age of 19 entered the 32 hardest universities to get into in 2021-22 – 0.1 per cent of all new undergraduates.

Frank Young, co-author of the Breaking the Care Ceiling report, said: “It is still sadly the case that care leavers have dire outcomes in all sorts of areas that end up costing the state money.

“Too many universities just aren’t doing enough to get care leavers onto their courses – some universities are doing really well, but others need to pull their socks up, particularly harder-to-get-into universities.”

Education ministers have promised to close the gap between care leavers and non-care leavers getting into higher education, but Civitas researchers said it would take more than 107 years to achieve this aim at the current rate of progress.

The report says that finishing university can significantly close the gap in terms of average graduate salaries.

It argues that a Scottish-style scholarship – which has tripled the number of care leavers at Scottish universities in recent years – could change the fortunes of these young people.

“It is time to break the care ceiling and Scotland shows how it can be done,” added Mr Young.

“North of the border they have tripled the number of care leavers at Scottish universities, with a bursary and commitment from universities to guarantee a place for a care leaver if they meet the entry requirements for their course.”

The report also calls for ministers to set a clear target to track progress, for an annual league table to be published of the number of care leavers at different universities, and for improved data collection around the issue.

patrick.jack@timeshighereducation.com