A fifth of Oxford enrolments are now black or ethnic students

NEARLY one in five students enrolling at Oxford are now either black or from an ethnic minority, as the university announces a new diversity drive in the wake of mounting political pressure.

Prof Louise Richardson, Oxford’s vice-chancellor, has admitted change has come “too slowly to meet public expectations” and that work remains “to be done”. For the first time in its history, the university today publishes its full admissions figures, which it hopes will reassure critics.

The report shows that last year the number of students classed as black and ethnic minority rose to 17.9 per cent, up from just 13.9 per cent four years ago. Meanwhile, sources at Oxford have revealed that more than six in every 10 students offered a place this autumn were from state schools, the highest proportion in its history.

Pupils accepted from disadvantaged backgrounds now account for more than 10 per cent of its annual intake.

The data comes after a political backlash over the historically low number of ethnic minority students admitted to some of Oxford’s most elite colleges, with three failing to admit a single black British applicant in 2015.

Those figures, obtained by David Lammy, the Labour MP for Tottenham, also showed that six Cambridge colleges failed to admit any black British A-level students during the same year.

Oxbridge has been threatened with financial sanctions by MPS, while Prime Minister Theresa May urged university leaders to do more to help “left behind” communities.

In the foreword to the report, Prof Richardson said that Oxford’s global reputation meant that it had become a “symbol” of debate on the “nature of British society, class, opportunity, and equality”. She added: “It is a picture of progress on a great many fronts, but with work remaining to be done.”

Critics pointed out that independently educated pupils are still overrepresented. Mr Lammy said “very little had changed”, as he accused Oxford of being an institution “happy to... remain an institution defined by entrenched privilege”. He added that while some colleges were “working hard” to improve accessibility, others remained “unconcerned” and “set in their ways”.

Sir Peter Lampl, founder of the Sutton Trust, said: “While it is good to see Oxford making progress on widening access, much more needs to be done.”