50% of UK Universities Enroll Fewer Than 5% Poor White Students

According to the latest admissions figures analysis, over 50% of England's universities “have fewer than 5% of poor white students”. University of Oxford has 3% of poor white students, while Teesside has 28%. The Typical Student team looked into the statistic.  

What Do Figures Show?

The research figures demonstrate the “problem in recruiting white students from poorer backgrounds” as well as the number of universities having low proportions of them. As told by BBC News, fewer than 1/5 of UK’s universities target admitting more poor white students. So, there’s been "variable" efforts to improve the enrolment.

Another 10,000 Going to Uni

Experts believe, even if universities would set a target of recruiting 5% of poor white students, it “would mean another 10,000 students going to university.” The study mostly focuses on "low-participation neighbourhoods," that is, areas where few people usually go to university. Despite all the statistic above, poor white students are still the biggest group attending universities, according to the Ucas admissions service.