The Widening Socio-Economic Gap in UK Higher Education

(2004) - Fernando Galindo-Rueda, Oscar Marcenaro-Gutierrez, Anna Vignoles

Journal: National Institute Economic Review
Link:: https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0027950100010681/type/journal_article
DOI:: 10.1177/002795010419000108
Links::
Tags:: #paper #SocialClass #Attainment #Education
Cite Key:: [@galindo-ruedaWideningSocioEconomicGap2004]

Abstract

This paper provides up-to-date empirical evidence on the socio-economic gap in higher education (HE) participation, for the period spanning the introduction of tuition fees. We assess whether the gap has widened and ask whether the socio-economic gap emerges on entry into university or much earlier in the education system. We do this in two ways. Firstly we consider the likelihood of going to university for school leavers in poor neighbourhoods and analyse changes in this likelihood over time. Secondly, we use more detailed individual level data to model the determinants of HE participation, focusing on changes in the relationship between family background and HE participation over time. We find that the growth in HE participation amongst poorer students has been remarkably high, mainly because it was starting from such a low base. However, the gap between rich and poor, in terms of HE participation, has widened during the 1990s. Children from poor neighbourhoods have become relatively less likely to participate in HE since 1994/5, as compared to children from richer neighbourhoods. This trend started before the introduction of tuition fees. Much of the class difference in HE participation seems to reflect inequalities at earlier stages of the education system.

Notes

“In 1998, up front tuition fees were introduced for degree courses in the UK.” (Galindo-Rueda et al., 2004, p. 3)

“Children from all socio-economic backgrounds are considerably more likely to go to university in 2001, as compared to 1994. In fact the growth in HE participation amongst poorer students has been remarkably high, mainly because they were starting from such a low base. Nonetheless our results suggest that poorer neighbourhoods (postcodes) saw a less rapid growth in the number of young people enrolled in HE as compared to richer neighbourhoods, particularly in the early and mid 1990s. The strength of the relationship between neighbourhood income levels and HE enrolment grew most rapidly in the early part of the period, rather than after the introduction of tuition fees.” (Galindo-Rueda et al., 2004, p. 3)

“We conclude that much of the impact from social class on university attendance actually occurs well before entry into HE.” (Galindo-Rueda et al., 2004, p. 4)