Black and Asian students won places at prestigious UK universities at record levels in 2021, alongside increasing numbers of students from all backgrounds, and the chief executive of the UCAS admissions service has said there could be one million applications for places by 2026.
The number of Black students who accepted places at selective institutions, such as those in the Russell Group of leading research universities, rose by 19% in a year, from 3,775 in 2020 to just under 4,500.
The record numbers of applications and acceptances were driven by the rise in higher A-levels awarded in 2021 after the government’s decision to cancel exams and replace them with teacher-assessed grades.
However, applicants from more privileged backgrounds continued to apply and gain places at even higher rates than in previous years. The number of applicants from the wealthiest backgrounds increased by 15%, while those from poorer areas rose more slowly, by 10%.
The gap in disadvantaged pupils and their peers continued to widen. In 2012, the difference between the number of acceptances for students on free school meals and those who weren’t stood at 14.5%, but last year this had risen to more than 20%.
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