It has been said that more than 20,000 students from poor and disadvantaged backgrounds were given university places after the A-level results.
The number has increased by almost 4%. The watchdog for fair access has urged more teenagers “with odds stacked against them” to apply to university through clearing, even if they had not considered university previously.
The number of students who came from deprived homes increased by 760 to reach 20,630, which is an increase of 20% in four years.
Director of Fair Access to Higher Education (Offa), Les Ebdon said, “Higher education could change your life like it did mine, as a teenager from a council estate who was the first in my family to go to university.”
He further stated, “If you have not yet applied to a higher education course, I urge you to consider doing so using the clearing system. Where you come from should not limit where you go in life, and universities and colleges provide a wide range of financial aid and other support to help you settle in and study.”
The chief executive of Ucas, Mary Curnock Cook urges students not to rush into making a decision and not to be frightened or distrustful of the clearing system.
Jo Johnson, the Minister of universities said, “These results indicate record numbers of students will be heading to university in the autumn, including a record level from disadvantaged backgrounds and more taking up science, engineering and maths based courses. This is great news and shows that by lifting the cap on student numbers, we are helping more people than ever benefit from higher education and gain the skills that businesses seek to boost productivity and support growth.”
