A new report published on Thursday has indicated that Brasenose, the historic Oxford college where David Cameron once studied, has the poorest record of admitting state school pupils who apply there with just one in ten securing a place. The college, which was founded in 1509 and named after an ancient brass door knocker that is now in the dining hall, offered places to just 11% of state school students who applied there between 2012 and 2014. Fellow Oxford colleges St Peter’s and Somerville topped the table, with 30% of state school students who applied to those colleges being offered a place. The data appears in a report by the Sutton Trust educational charity. The report calls on Oxford and Cambridge to streamline their admissions procedure towards a single application, controlled by the university, in preference to the current system of applications to individual colleges which is described as "intimidating and complex”.
Regrettably, the report presented fails to acknowledge our admissions process and instead offers criticism and suggestions that are unwarranted and misguided. As an institution committed to widening participation while maintaining academic excellence, we have a proven track record in improving access. We regularly assess the effectiveness of our admissions procedures in conjunction with our extensive participation work.
Although we acknowledge an improvement in the admission rate of state school applicants to Cambridge and Oxford, it remains a fact that candidates from independent schools continue to have a higher chance of success. The statistics indicate that as of 2014, 62% of successful applicants to Cambridge attended state schools, while the figure for Oxford stood at 56%; marking an increase from 51% and 47%, respectively, from back in 1997. Although private schools accounted for just 7% of the UK’s student population, the figure stood at 14% for sixth-formers, as per the Sutton Trust’s records.
Oxford and Cambridge received backlash from the Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission last December in its annual report for failing to bolster the state school enrollment figures in their respective institutions.
