University access: the role of background and COVID-19 throughout the application process

Publication type

ISER Working Paper Series

Series Number

2022-07

Series

ISER Working Paper Series

Authors

Publication date

June 20, 2022

Abstract:

Students from low socio-economic status (SES) or ethnic minority backgrounds are less likely to enrol into elite universities than high SES or White students. We use student-level university application data from the UK centralised university admissions service to show that these gaps cannot be accounted for by prior educational performance or subject preferences. The reasons why these gaps emerge differ according to the demographic group considered. SES gaps are predominantly driven by students’ application decisions, while ethnic gaps result from minority groups’ lower propensity to achieve the conditions of offers. There is widespread concern about the potential impact of COVID-19 and the resulting alternative assessment arrangements for the 2020 application cohort. We find no evidence of a differential impact on access to elite institutions, but show that Black and South Asian students, who in normal years are successful at finding a place at later stages of the application process were more likely to be squeezed out.

Subjects


Related Publications

#547172

News

Latest findings, new research

Publications search

Search all research by subject and author

Podcasts

Researchers discuss their findings and what they mean for society

Projects

Background and context, methods and data, aims and outputs

Events

Conferences, seminars and workshops

Survey methodology

Specialist research, practice and study

Taking the long view

ISER's annual report

Themes

Key research themes and areas of interest