Universities competing for poorer students
UNIVERSITIES are battling each other to recruit students from poorer backgrounds in the race to fulfill their individual quotas, a report warns.
A new series of recommendations from Universities Scotland, which represents principals, argues new, broader regional targets would stimulate greater collaboration between nearby competing institutions.
A report by the body states: “Currently the targets and measurements in the Scottish Funding Council’s Outcome Agreement framework are at national or individual institution level.
“This can push institutions into competition for the same students and can work against collaborative action to widen access to higher education for under-represented groups.”
The Scottish Government has set a target for one-fifth of students entering higher education by 2030 to be from Scotland’s 20 per cent most deprived communities, but figures from earlier this year show the overall proportion at universities is just over 10 per cent.
The Universities Scotland report Working to Widen Access said all institutions were committed to lowering entry grades for poorer students, but it would not provide a guarantee of entry.
TARGETS for universities to recruit more students from poorer backgrounds are setting institutions against each other in the battle to fulfill their individual quotas, a report warns.
Ministers want all universities to focus on widening access to disadvantaged students and the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) has set tough targets to ensure progress is made.
However, Universities Scotland, which represents principals, argues new, broader regional targets would encourage greater collaboration between nearby competing institutions.
A report by the body states: “Higher education institutions will explore the potential of introducing regional widening access targets to encourage collaboration. We believe there is potential benefit in models that encourage institutions to work together to widen access.
“Currently the targets and measurements in the Scottish Funding Council’s Outcome Agreement framework are at national or individual institution level.
“This can push institutions into competition for the same students and can work against collaborative action to widen access to higher education for under-represented groups.”
The body said a regional view would allow institutions to take different approaches to widening access and called for a dialogue with the SFC to remove “financial and administrative barriers” – such as fines for those that miss targets.
It concludes: “Universities will need to define for themselves and with each other what they consider a region or whether they are part of one.”
The Scottish Government has set a target for one fifth of students entering higher education by 2030 to be from Scotland’s 20 per cent most deprived communities, but figures from earlier this year show the overall proportion at universities is just over 10 per cent. The figures are lower for Scotland’s Ancient universities such as Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow and St Andrews.
As part of the drive to improve the situation the Scottish Government established a commission which made a series of recommendations including plans for all universities to drop entry grades for poorer students.
The Universities Scotland report Working to Widen Access, which is a response to the commission’s recommendations, said all institutions were committed to lowering entry grades, but it would not provide a guarantee of entry.
The report also indicated the sector does not intend to provide a common set of minimum entry requirements, but will develop them on a course by course basis.
The report states: “Meeting minimum entry requirements won’t always guarantee an offer to higher education because there are often more applicants than there are places available.
“Universities’ judgment therefore has to be at the heart of this…”
The report said in “exceptional circumstances” institutions could make offers even below their published minimum entry requirements.
Every Scottish higher education institution will set minimum entry requirements for their courses in 2019 for entrants starting in 2020-21.
Martin Fairbairn, chief operating officer of the SFC, said: “The actions the report sets out are helpful and we will continue to work with Universities Scotland to support their success in this crucial area.”
There are often more applicants than there are places available