Vicky Foxcroft – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Vicky Foxcroft on 2015-10-21.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the comparative merits of universities using (a) postcodes and (b) household incomes to determine whether a student lives in a low-participation neighbourhood for the purposes of eligibility for bursaries; and if he will make a statement.

Joseph Johnson

Universities wishing to charge fees above the basic fee level must agree an access agreement with the independent Director of Fair Access, setting out the support they will give to students from disadvantaged backgrounds. The Director of Fair Access has said that universities should use any evidence they have about the impact of financial support on widening participation when making decisions on their support packages. They should also include details of the evidence used in their access agreements.

It is for universities themselves to decide the criteria for awarding bursaries and, in respect of students from disadvantaged backgrounds, to set these out in their access agreement. Each university will decide its criteria taking into account the make-up of its own student body and its individual mission.