Getting into a Russell Group university: high scores and private schooling

Abstract

Despite substantial prior research on higher education choice, top universities in the UK continue to stand accused of favouring socio‐economically advantaged students, to the detriment of those from poorer backgrounds. The objectives of this study are to test whether students with the same or equivalent entry scores are more or less likely to enter a top (Russell Group) university based on their social class background, parental education, occupation, age and racial group. Are students from disadvantaged backgrounds achieving the same entry grades or scores as other students, and based on their grades, are they equally likely to be studying at Russell Group universities? The research is based on primary data from a national ( UK ) survey with 10,723 respondents from 140 universities and higher education institutions. The findings from binary logistic regression show that prior schooling (private schooling) and high entry grades are the best predictors of attendance at Russell Group universities in the UK . The model with twelve predictors is significant using the full sample and the random sub‐samples, and four key variables are strong predictors for all models: schooling, entry scores, age (under‐19) and non‐widening participation status predict the likelihood of attending a Russell Group university in 70% of cases. The respondents in this study who attended a private school are one and a half times more likely to attend a Russell Group university than students who attended a state‐funded school. Black students are also underrepresented in Russell Group universities, but their entry scores are significantly lower.

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