Oxford ‘less likely’ to accept bright state pupils

Despite government pressure on universities to diversify their admissions, it has emerged that bright candidates from fee-paying schools were around 25% more likely to get in to Oxford University last year. Black and Asian pupils with decent grades had a significantly lower success rate than their white counterparts, writes Olivia Goldhill for The Telegraph.

The disclosure was made in data released under the Freedom of Information Act relating to candidates’ AS-level grades – exams taken halfway through A-level courses and just before Oxford considers candidates. It comes amid continuing criticism of admissions systems run by top universities.

Last month, budding law student Elly Nowell sent Oxford a mocking “rejection letter” after being interviewed at Magdalen College. She criticised the process as "torture" and the university as "rude" for not even providing a glass of water. But the university insisted that the latest data failed to take into account the academic differences between candidates.
Full report on The Telegraph site