Cambridge gives second chance to failed applicants

Move to bring ‘wider range of students’

STUDENTS FROM under-represented backgrounds who narrowly missed out on a University of Cambridge place are to be given a second chance.

For the first time since Ucas introduced the adjustment scheme a decade ago, Cambridge will participate in the initiative from this August.

Each year, more than 14,000 students who apply to Cambridge are not made an offer, and the university estimates up to 100 places may be offered under the scheme.

Dr Sam Lucy, the director of admissions for the Cambridge Colleges, said: “Adjustment provides those students who go on to achieve highly with an opportunity to be reconsidered as soon as they have their final results, rather than having to make a reapplication the following year.

“We hope this will have a positive impact, enabling us to admit talented students from underrepresented groups who narrowly miss out in the first round.”

Adjustment allows students who exceed the terms of their

conditional offer to refer themselves to another institution for consideration. Once their A-level results are known, those from wider participation backgrounds will be able to get in touch with Cambridge for reconsideration.

Applications will only be con- sidered for the subject a student originally applied for and are available to those who are resident in the UK and currently studying at a UK school.

Last April, a report from the Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI) found Cambridge to be the most “unequal” university. It calculated the ratings based on universities’ share of students coming from different POLAR quintiles, which are used to measure how advantaged an area is.

HEPI’s director, Nick Hillman, said: “I saw during my own years as a secondary school teacher how there is an element of lottery in getting into places like Cambridge – and it has got worse since I left teaching 20 years ago.

“So if this reduces the element of chance for a few students, it is wholly welcome. I would like to know more about whether it is a temporary or a permanent change though and it does need to be supplemented by other initiatives.”

Last month a report from the National Education Opportunities Network (Neon) showed just two per cent of those admitted to the University of Cambridge in 2016/17 were white students from deprived backgrounds.