The University of Oxford has announced record state school admissions for the 2020-21 academic year, with nearly seven in 10 new undergraduates admitted from state schools.
Over 68.4 per cent of new undergraduates arriving for the first term in October attended state schools, an increase of 6 percentage points on the previous year (62.3 per cent) and the highest level to date.
The university said it had accepted more than 300 state school students who had missed their grades under the Ofqual algorithm, and that “once the government changed the grading policy, most of these students then met their offers, while an additional 79 state school students also met their offers and were accepted”.
Related: Cambridge state pupil intake jumps after grades u-turn
Related: Oh, Oxbridge. You don’t understand how privilege works
Background: State school teachers don’t advise their bright pupils to apply to Oxbridge, poll shows
The news comes after the University of Cambridge announced that 70 per cent of its new undergraduates this year came from state schools - a record high - after it increased its intake following the government’s U-turn on A-level grading.
A statement from the University of Oxford said that it had worked hard to support applicants from disadvantaged backgrounds following the “educational disruption” caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
These applicants “disproportionately received grades below their offers”.
This year’s undergraduate cohort will also come from a wider range of socioeconomic backgrounds.
“The ratio between students coming to Oxford from the parts of the UK most and least likely to progress to higher education has closed, from 10.8:1 in 2019 to 7.7:1 in 2020. The gap between students from the most and least socioeconomically advantaged areas has also closed, from 4.3:1 in 2019 to 2.9:1 in 2020,” the statement said.
The university will also see its first intake of the Opportunity Oxford residential programme, designed to increase offers made to students coming from schools, colleges or areas that do not traditionally send many students to Oxford.
“The programme has welcomed 100 students for this coming academic year, with three others having deferred places for 2021,” the university said.
Professor Louise Richardson, vice-chancellor of the University of Oxford, said: “We are delighted by the results of the concerted efforts across the university to identify talented students from a broad range of backgrounds who are passionate about their subject.
“We are particularly pleased to have been able to welcome the inaugural class of Opportunity Oxford students, notwithstanding the constraints imposed by the pandemic.
“It is going to be a challenging year ahead for all of us, but we are confident that every one of our incoming students will receive a fabulous education, which will be the cornerstone for their future life and career.”
Dr Samina Khan, director of undergraduate admissions and outreach, said: “From expanding our digital outreach offering during lockdown, to voicing and upholding concerns about the Ofqual algorithm used to award A-level grades this year, our commitment to supporting talented students of all backgrounds to achieve their Oxford dreams and potential has, I hope, been apparent throughout this extraordinary period.
“The new academic year will see a record number of state school students arriving at Oxford, and we could not be more delighted.”
Shathuki Perera, an Opportunity Oxford participant studying Biology, was also quoted in the statement as saying: “Opportunity Oxford has been exhilarating in both social and academic aspects. This programme has allowed me to make friends from a variety of different colleges before the start of term, which has made me less nervous about starting university.
“The academic lectures have been very thrilling and the practical assignments have allowed me to familiarise and get more comfortable with the lab equipment, which will prove to be a great asset when I start my course.
“Being a first-generation student, coming to the University of Oxford means a lot to me, and this programme has allowed me to set a solid foundation and to be well equipped for my university career.”
