College-based admissions
107. The University of Oxford's representatives
told the Sub-committee that the importance of the tutorial system
at Oxford was reflected in its admissions process. Candidates
applied to individual colleges of the University which offer teaching
in their chosen subject. The colleges, rather than the University,
conducted the admissions process. Academic staff, who act as tutors
to those students admitted to the college, conducted the interviews
for those applicants.[107]
Around 80 per cent of students admitted were offered places in
their first choice colleges with the remaining proportion being
accepted by other Oxford colleges.[108]
Professor Halsey and Dr McCrum argued that "at present the
Admissions Office publishes global acceptance rates. This is not
of much use as a guide to remedial action".[109]
Dr Colin Lucas, the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford,
responded to the Education Sub-committee's request to publish
application and admission data for each college.[110]
The University of Cambridge, which similarly admits students by
individual colleges, has made similar data available.[111]
We welcome the publication by Oxford and Cambridge of admissions
data on a college-by-college basis. We recommend that such data
should also be published in future years to achieve the transparency
which should characterize the admissions systems of all universities.
All those involved in college admissions should be properly trained
to conduct interviews.
108. We do not see the necessity to give special
treatment to England's two oldest universities within a national
university admissions system. The special status enjoyed by Oxbridge
might also act as a deterrent to applications. It is therefore
unhelpful for UCAS to set Oxbridge apart by setting a separate
and earlier date each year for applications to those universities,
which only reinforces the out-dated idea that Oxford and Cambridge
are set apart from the rest of the higher education sector. We
recommend that UCAS should apply the same closing date to applications
for all universities, including all medical and veterinary schools.
This reform should be introduced at the earliest possible date.
109. We believe that the present college-based
admissions system might be a significant barrier to the timely
response to criticisms of the low proportion of suitably qualified
students from lower socio-economic backgrounds admitted to many
colleges. The college-based system of admission to Oxbridge should
not be used as an excuse for inaction. We recommend that for Oxford
and Cambridge HEFCE's performance indicators, at least for those
relating to the socio-economic backgrounds of candidates who apply
and are admitted, should be dis-aggregated to college level so
that the performance of each college in widening access can be
assessed.
The collegiate system and action
to widen access
110. It has been argued that the collegiate
system could be a barrier to the timely implementation of necessary
reforms to the admissions process. However, Ms Minto, Secretary
of the Oxford Colleges Admissions Office, told us "the colleges
on admissions have something called a 'disarmament agreement',
so that if we take a decision—for instance, we took a decision
five years ago to abolish formal entrance examination—if
a majority of colleges support that decision, all the colleges
go along with it. It is absolutely collective".[112]
The recent HEFCE funding given to improve access "is being
spent and being used in a very co-ordinated way... all my colleges
are involved".[113]
The Vice-Chancellor (Dr Lucas) also assured us: "I have not
had any resistance from the colleges to the proposals we put out
on the Access Working Party".[114]
111. Access initiatives date back from the West Riding
School (1964), the Don Visits to LEAs (1967), the Hertford Scheme
(1965), the introduction of conditional offers (1974) and early
offers (1971), the ILEA Science Scheme (1978), the ILEA PPE Scheme
(1979) and the Scottish Scheme (1977). There are currently
numerous college and university based schemes taking place. This
suggests that the collegiate system allows different approaches
to be tried and best practice adopted more widely.
83 Q. 870. Back
84 Q.
1110. Back
85 Q.
1110. Back
86 The
Sutton Trust, Entry to leading universities, April 2000. Back
87 Ev.
p. 122. Back
88 Oxford
Magazine No. 158, 1998, page
3. Back
89 Appendix
13. Back
90 Ev.
p. 87, para 9. Back
91 University
of Aberdeen Department of Economics, Gender Differences in
Student Attainment: The Case of the University Students in the
UK. Discussion Paper 9810, 1998. Back
92 Oxford
Magazine No. 158, 1998, page
3. Back
93 Q.
730. Back
94 Appendix
13. Back
95 University
of Liverpool Centre for Education and Employment Research, Participation
in PostCompulsory Education, 1997. Socio-economic classification
for the UK from the 1998 General Household Survey: Professional
5 per cent; Employers & managers 16 per cent; Intermediate
35 per cent; Skilled manual 18 per cent; Semi skilled manual 18
per cent; and Unskilled 6 per cent. Back
96 Q.
306. Back
97 The
Sutton Trust, Entry to leading universities, April 2000. Back
98 Q.
853. Back
99 Q.
851. Back
100 Q.
851. Back
101 Sir
Kenneth Calman, ViceChancellor of Durham University, told
the Subcommittee that there was no evidence for these concerns,
Q.1083. See also Appendix 7. Back
102 Q.
1106. Back
103 Q.
1119. Back
104 Oxford
Magazine, No. 152, 1998,
page 3. Back
105 Q.
729. Back
106 Q.
729. Back
107 About
800 people are involved in making access admissions decisions
at Oxford. About 450 of them have received training so far and
the need for all to be trained is fully recognised (Q. 728). Back
108 Ev.
p. 152, para 5. Back
109 Oxford
Magazine, No 158, 1998. Back
110 Appendix
1. Back
111 Appendix
2. Back
112 Q.
739. Back
113 Q.
740. Back
114 Q.
739. Back
