One in four new students at Oxford will be from the poorest backgrounds by 2023 in a shake-up which will allow some to be admitted with lower grades.
For the first time, 250 of the 2,500 places available every year will be reserved for disadvantaged state school pupils.
The drive to break the stranglehold of the rich means ten per cent of places will be ring-fenced for these youngsters.
For the first time, 250 of the 2,500 places available every year will be reserved for disadvantaged state school pupils
When added to the 15 per cent who gain places the normal way, this will total 25 per cent of admissions.
The move is likely to spark accusations of ‘social engineering’ as it will leave middle-class and private school pupils competing for fewer places.
Grammar schools could also be hit as many tend to have a low proportion of deprived pupils but send large numbers to Oxford.
Those displaced by the scheme will be borderline cases whose applications are strong but not exceptional.
Yesterday, there was disquiet from the Independent Schools Council, which represents most private schools.
Chief executive Julie Robinson said: ‘Many pupils attending independent schools receive means-tested bursaries. It is a shame this debate is presented as independent vs state.’
This is the most drastic action taken by any elite university and follows criticism that admissions tutors are biased against black and poor students.
Announcing the overhaul, vice-chancellor Louise Richardson said: ‘This is a sea change in Oxford admissions.
‘Colleagues from across the university have united behind a commitment to accelerate the pace at which we are diversifying our student body.’
She added the measures would ensure ‘every academically exceptional student in the country knows that they have a fair chance of a place at Oxford’.
The drive to break the stranglehold of the rich means ten per cent of places will be ring-fenced for these youngsters
The changes will be made via two schemes to be phased in by 2023. Under the Foundation Oxford scheme, 50 students will be admitted with lower grades if they show potential but have faced extreme hardship, known as
