British elite universities like Oxford, Cambridge or Saint Andrew are often blamed for reproducing the social elite.
But this accusation does not stand up to reality. For the first time, the number of ethnically non-white school-leavers who have received a place at the top universities now exceeds that of white ones.
Statistics also show that in 2021, seventy-two percent of Chinese applicants will have gotten a place at an elite university.
This means that they also have the highest success rate of all comparison groups at the leading universities.
White school leavers had the lowest rate: just thirty-three percent of applicants for a place at university were accepted by an elite university in 2021.
The news is not surprising.
This development has been observed since 2005.
In 2018, more freshman places at Oxford were given to applicants from Singapore than to graduates from the north-east of England.
Tuition fees between £28,000 and £39,000
The university stated that it had taken this step for reasons of diversity.
Despite this, she was criticized for social exclusivity.
Applicants from Asian countries in particular seem to be given preferential treatment – not only in comparison to white minorities, but also to other minorities.
This is mainly for economic reasons.
Because the places in Cambridge and Oxford are not only in demand, but also expensive.
“Overseas” foreigners pay a particularly large amount of money.
As of this year, students from the European Union are also included in this group.
Non-British tuition fees at Oxford range from £28,000 to £39,000 a year, while British students pay £9,250 a year.
They are also entitled to a loan from the UK government.
The preferential allocation of university places to students from overseas seems to have more monetary than moral reasons.