‘Second chance’ places for poor at Cambridge
CAMBRIDGE is to take on poorer students who do better than expected in their A-levels.
The scheme will be open to all students from disadvantaged backgrounds who applied in the autumn and ‘narrowly missed’ out on an offer.
It is estimated around 100 spots will be available when the initiative starts this summer – providing a ‘ second chance’ for those with exceptional Alevel results.
The elite university never usually accepts extra students after the official admissions round. But this year it will enter the Ucas process known as ‘adjustment’, which allows those who do better than expected to apply for spare places at more prestigious institutions.
It is thought this will significantly increase the proportion of disadvantaged students at Cambridge, which admits about 3,500 undergraduates a year.
The university has been under intense political pressure to show it is hitting diversity targets. A spokesman said it was subscribing to the scheme specifically because it ‘wishes to increase the number of students’ from poorer communities.
Dr Sam Lucy, director of admissions, said: ‘ Each year more than 14,000 students who apply to Cambridge are not made an offer.
‘Students have to apply almost a year before they start their course, and some may be on an upward academic trajectory and not demonstrating their full academic potential at the point of interview.
‘Adjustment provides those students who go on to achieve highly with an opportunity to be reconsidered as soon as they have their final results. We hope this will have a positive impact, in enabling us to admit talented students from under- represented groups who narrowly miss out in the first round.’
Shadab Ahmed, of Cam- bridge’s student union, added: ‘This is vital in the current educational climate where there is increasing uncertainty and the admissions process is becoming more competitive.’
Experts have previously warned that teachers often underestimate poorer pupils when predicting their grades.
The results-day reapplications will be considered only for the subject first applied for, and the scheme is available only for pupils at British schools.
Cambridge has already contacted applicants who may become eligible to let them know what to do.
Under ‘ adjustment’ rules, those who meet all conditions of their original offer, and exceed at least one of them, can look for another place without losing their first.
To be considered ‘ disadvantaged’, students must meet criteria such as living in a neighbourhood where not many go to university, or growing up in care.
It comes after figures showed that between 2007-8 and 201718, British undergraduates at Cambridge decreased by 480 from 9,845 to 9,365. Meanwhile, overseas undergraduates have climbed sharply from 1,690 to 2,785 over the same period.
The university was accused of taking more foreign students because they pay more in fees – making it even more difficult for poorer British students to get in. Cambridge has denied this.
‘Pressure to hit diversity targets’