Universities 'not doing enough' for poor students
11:23am Saturday 28th June 2008
THE region's top universities are not doing enough to attract students from poorer homes, a report by Parliament's watchdog has warned.
Durham University, York University and Newcastle University are all failing to hit benchmarks for the number of students from struggling families and neighbourhoods, the National Audit Office said.
At the same time, they are spending much less on bursaries to attract youngsters from those poorer backgrounds than the region's newer universities.
Furthermore, the lack of places disproportionately hits young people from the region, because more and more students are now choosing a university close to home, the NAO said.
Durham University fared better than most in the region last year - spending 27.1 per cent of the income it received from £3,000-per-year top-up fees on bursaries, compared to only 15.9 per cent at Newcastle University and 18.9 per cent at Sunderland, although the Sunderland figure will rise to 35.2 per cent next year.
Teesside University spent 38.3 per cent of its income, while York St John University spent 30.3 per cent.
The NAO highlighted how the scale of bursaries "varied considerably", with 18 universities allocating more than 30 per cent of top-up fee income, while 32 spent less than 15 per cent. It admitted that part of the problem was ignorance among would-be students, urging the Government to set up a "single source of comprehensive information for all Government grants, loans and bursaries".
But it added: "Staff in schools and colleges nevertheless found that fear of future debt is the obstacle they think most impedes students' progress into higher education. Increasing financial support or incentives to students is the change that they think would do most to widen participation in higher education."
The NAO found that the proportion of young, full-time students from poorer backgrounds had risen over the past four years, but only by two per cent.
Universities received £456m in extra income from top-up fees in 2006-07, awarding bursaries that ranged from the statutory minimum of £310 to £3,150.