Higher fees fail to deter students from poor areas

Universities have received a record number of applications as demand for places rose for the third consecutive year, reversing a dip when fees trebled to £9,000 a year.

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Numbers of disadvantaged candidates also continued to increase, figures from the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service showed, defying predictions that higher fees would deter poor students.

The application rates from 18-year-olds living in the most disadvantaged areas in England rose from 18 to 21 per cent, a record level. However, they were still far below those in more affluent neighbourhoods: wealthier teenagers were 2.4 times more likely to apply to university, although in 2006 this ratio was even higher, at 3.7 times.

While applications from school leavers have risen strongly, those from mature students have fallen.

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Sir Peter Lampl, chairman of the Sutton Trust, an education charity, said: “The continuing growth in disadvantaged applicants is welcome. Nevertheless, there is still a significant gap, particularly to the most selective universities, and a worrying dip this year in mature applicants.”

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