A fifth of Oxford undergraduates are from ethnic minorities

MORE than a fifth of Oxford undergraduates come from black and ethnic minority backgrounds, figures show.

The proportion of black and ethnic minority students rose from 14.5 per cent five years ago to 22.1 per cent last year, according to the university’s undergraduate admissions report.

Of those admitted in 2019, 3.2 per cent were from Afro-caribbean and African heritage, 9.6 per cent were Asian and 2.1 per cent Bangladeshi Pakistani.

The report also showed of all British students Oxford admitted over three years, almost half were from Greater London and the South East. Just 2.1 per cent were from the North East and 4.5 per cent from the East Midlands. Students from Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland together made up just 5.3 per cent of the intake.

The data also showed that over the past five years the number of state-educated students increased from 55.6 per cent to 62.3 per cent as universities looked to admit more people from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Last year, Oxford said it would offer places with lower grades to students from disadvantaged backgrounds for the first time in its 900-year history.

From 2023, 250 state school students will receive free tuition and accommodation. Prof Louise Richardson, Oxford’s vice-chancellor, said: “We fully intend to continue our progress toward ensuring every talented, academically driven pupil, wherever they come from, sees Oxford as a place for them.”