Most Oxford postgraduate scholarships ‘go to privileged students’

Half of postgraduate scholarships at the University of Oxford are going to the most privileged students, leaving the most disadvantaged in the minority, a report claims.

Research by the Oxford University Students’ Union, found that only 4 per cent of the university’s postgraduate scholarships go to the most socio-economically disadvantaged group in the UK, while 51 per cent are received by the most privileged groups.

Some 53 per cent of UK postgraduate students at Oxford who received a university-provided scholarship are from the two most privileged groups, and among international scholarship holders the figure is 83 per cent.

“With Oxford unable to fund the majority of postgraduate spots, it is thus only logical that these resources would be dedicated to students who would not be able to otherwise enrol, who are severely under-represented at the university,” says the union’s report.

“But this is not the case. The few scholarships that Oxford offers, while more generous than those offered by UK counterparts, are overwhelmingly offered to the most privileged students.”

Socio-economically disadvantaged students were also less likely to be able to take up postgraduate courses after being offered a place, with this blamed on funding pressures. This was “particularly concerning” among social sciences, with almost 70 per cent of offer-holding applicants from the least-represented backgrounds not going on to enrol. This figure is 44 per cent among other groups.

The report further notes that the majority of postgraduate funding is not ringfenced for disadvantaged groups, which consequently means “it is likely” the majority of scholarships which are awarded to disadvantaged students are particularly targeted at them.

Socio-economic diversity at the university is declining, with applications from the most disadvantaged groups falling from 907 in 2022-23 to 741 in 2023-24. The report warns: “Oxford has launched many access initiatives, but they don’t seem to work with the number of disadvantaged students applying for postgraduate study declining every year.”

The Office for Students said the report highlighted the “barriers that may make it more difficult for some student groups to pursue postgraduate study”.

“It’s important that we continue to support and challenge institutions to ensure no student is left behind at the end of their undergraduate studies, whether they plan to enter the workforce or progress to postgraduate research,” the English regulator said.

The report recommends that the university increases its data on postgraduate applicants in line with its undergraduate monitoring, ensures “significant portions” of available scholarships are means-tested, and expands postgraduate admissions outreach.

“The reason we have been unable to fund those that need it most is because we have been allured by limited notions of merit, that do not take into account essential context and often are based on just different proxies for privilege,” the report adds. 

“If we want access to Oxford to be truly based on merit, we would need to make sure that that enrolment does not depend on whether you can afford it.”

A University of Oxford spokesperson said the institution was “committed to improving access to postgraduate study for those from the least advantaged backgrounds”, and “welcomes the insights of the SU's sabbatical officers on this important issue”.

“While we are proud of the progress we have made, we recognise that more needs to be done, and we look forward to working in partnership with the Oxford SU on this mission,” the spokesperson said.

“In support of our aims we have introduced socioeconomic and contextual data in the assessment of applications, as well as a range of financial support to ensure we attract and retain the best talent, from all backgrounds. From 2024, revenue raised from the graduate application fee for students who do not meet the criteria for our application fee waiver schemes will be used to support our ambitious priorities for graduate access.”

juliette.rowsell@timeshighereducation.com