RESEARCHERS are to examine whether poorer students find it more difficult to fit in at England’s top universities – and their experiences of gaining a job afterwards.
A new study by academics will look at how students from both working class and middle class homes fare at different universities in the same city, and whether class spells success.
It comes amid concerns that government plans to triple tuition fees next year could deter the poorest students from attending universities, usually the most elite institutions, that charge the highest fees.
The study will compare the experiences of richer and poorer students and the benefits they receive from attending two different universities – Bristol, which is a well-known elite research university, and UWE, a popular new university.
The “Paired Peers” study has received £280,000 in funding from the Leverhulme Trust.
