London state school students win scholarship to top US universities

Anna Davis reports in the Evening Standard on the 15 London students going to study in the US this September thanks to the Sutton Trust US Programme.

A group of London state school students from deprived backgrounds have won scholarships to some of America’s top universities.

The fifteen pupils will start at universities including Harvard, Yale and Princeton in September after being encouraged to apply by the Sutton Trust charity, which works to improve educational opportunities for young people from non-privileged backgrounds.

The students had all previously taken part in summer schools in America funded by the charity.

In total 61 state school students from around the UK will start degrees at US universities with help from the Sutton Trust.

They all met US Ambassador Matthew Barzun at a reception at Winfield House, his London residence, last night.

The majority of students come from households with an income of less than £25,000 per annum. They will each receive around £138,500 in financial aid over the course of their four years at university to pay for tuition and living costs.

Sir Peter Lampl, chairman of the Sutton Trust, said: “These new results are a sign that more young people from low and middle income homes are‎ making informed choices about their futures – considering top US universities alongside their UK counterparts, just as those from affluent backgrounds have been doing. It is great to see that our US programme has enabled so many more state school students to access top American universities. “

Read the article here.