World-renowned Russell group member University of Cambridge will give students from a ‘disadvantaged background’ a second chance to apply after they receive their A Level results in Summer 2019.
For the first time, Cambridge University will take part in the UCAS ‘adjustment’ process which allows students to re-apply to universities after they receive their A Level results this Summer. The change comes as a follow on from their on-going work into helping improve social inclusion for students from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Dr Sam Lucy, director of admissions at Cambridge, said: “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, rather than having to make a reapplication the following year. We hope this will have a positive impact, in enabling us to admit talented students from underrepresented groups who narrowly miss out in the first round.”
The UCAS system of adjustment allows students who have outperformed the terms of the conditional university offer they are holding, to refer themselves for consideration by another institution. However, this adjustment process will only be open to undergraduate Cambridge hopefuls who have already taken part in the interviewing process, only narrowly missed out on a place and come from disadvantaged backgrounds.
The type of disadvantage will include young people living in deprived areas, in places where few people go to university and who are at schools where few people have ever gained places at Cambridge or Oxford. Alongside the Sutton Trust, Cambridge are offering 100 pupil places after results day starting from Summer 2019.
But is this really fair?
We went around the school to ask people’s opinions on whether disadvantaged students should have a better chance of getting into high standard institutions:
Mr Lawson, Deputy Head: “I think this is a really good step forward. Anything that helps to improve social mobility, especially into higher education programmes is a really positive change for any institution.”
Molly Tong, Year 12: “I feel that this is a good opportunity for students who may not have the same privileges as others, however I feel that there are two extremes on the spectrum, and that those who are neither disadvantaged or affluent are left with a very narrow chance to get accepted.”
Miss Hancox, head of English: “It’s good to help the disadvantaged students that might already have life weighted against them through no fault of their own. Cambridge has tried in the past to make applying to the university for disadvantaged pupils but this is the biggest form of change I personally have seen from them so far.”
Year 13 student: “I don’t think it is very fair. They already adopt a positive discrimination policy in their initial recruitment, so why is it that poorer students are the only ones allowed a second chance? I think it should be an opportunity offered to all people who didn’t originally get an offer, as their initial admissions process is already weighted towards ‘disadvantaged students.’”
Overall, the changes made by Cambridge will result in more students from different backgrounds applying to the university and help their diversity as an institution on the whole, but these changes may not be making the university more accessible to all.
By Kayleigh, Year 12
YJB BBC 