The comments come as the Office of Fair Access (OFFA) published its’ annual figures monitoring university performance.
Figures from OFFA show that 15 of the richest universities (those who are members of the Russell Group and 1994 Group) spend less than 20% of the extra money they get from charging students the maximum yearly fee on bursaries & scholarships for disadvantaged students. In contrast, 18 of the newer universities spend over 25% of the additional funds on cash for disadvantaged students. In addition, despite having the poorest record of recruiting students from poorer backgrounds, the Russell Group of universities spend less than newer universities on outreach to under-represented groups.
The system also means that those with the most disadvantaged students have the least to spend on bursaries- generating huge inequalities. The overall average bursary/scholarship payout was £879. But in the Russell Group of selective universities the figure was £1,311, whereas the average in the new universities of the Million+ group was just £726- a difference of almost £600.
Commenting on the findings, Aaron Porter, NUS President, said:
“The regulation that surrounds the charging of top up fees is farcical and has allowed greedy university heads with the worst record on access to ask for huge student contributions who then spend less on outreach than those with a better record at getting poorer students onto their courses. Vice-Chancellors and OFFA should be calling for a better system, not patting themselves on the back.”
“The iniquities in the system reinforce our case for money for bursaries and scholarships to follow the students with the greatest need, and bursary help to be based on student need not on the institution”