Universities scheme backs cutting entry requirements

ANDREW DENHOLM

were also performing at the same level as the overall group.

He added: “This shows admitting these students to professional degrees has not affected or lowered performance standards which is the erroneous argument put forward to discredit or argue against widening participation.

“It also justifies our belief that pupils living in the most deprived postcode areas were just as talented and capable and had the same potential as their peers attending higher progression schools and living in more affluent areas.”

Professor Sir Anton Muscatelli, principal of Glasgow University, said the institution strived to attract the best and brightest of students regardless of background or economic circumstance.

He said: “We run multiple widening access programmes and put great emphasis on both engaging with schools and talking to pupils about why university, and particularly why Glasgow, should be an option for them.

“Reach is a vitally important part of that commitment, providing access to pupils with an interest in and ability to study for a professional degree in dentistry, law, medicine or veterinary medicine and surgery.”

Shirley-Anne Somerville, minister for higher education, welcomed the progress highlighted under the Reach programme.

She said: “We are determined to ensure that every child gets an equal chance to fulfil their potential, regardless of circumstance. The achievements of these students demonstrate that background should be no barrier to success, with the right opportunities and support. It underscores the importance of our work to widen access to university.” WITHOUT Glasgow University’s ground-breaking Reach programme Dagshagini Taylor would have struggled to fulfil her ambition of becoming a doctor.

The 23-year-old former pupil of St Roch’s Secondary School in