Students from rich families 7 times more likely to go to top university

TEENAGERS from richer families are seven times more likely to go to a top university than those from the poorest homes, according to a new study.

Research by the Office for Fair Access shows the gap between youngsters from rich and poor backgrounds attending the UK's leading institutions has widened since the 1990s.

In the mid-1990s the most advantaged fifth of youngsters were six times more likely to gain a place at the top third of selective universities than the most disadvantaged 40 per cent of teenagers. By the mid-2000s, this had risen to seven times more likely.

The report suggests that, while elite universities have been making efforts to encourage more students from disadvantaged backgrounds to apply, progress has stalled.

It says: "While there have been substantial increases in participation among the least advantaged 40 per cent of young people across higher education overall compared to the mid-1990s, the participation rate among the same group of young people at the top third of selective universities has remained almost flat over the period."