Is it time for a radical university challenge?

There are more than 150 million students in universities around the world, yet academic expertise has rarely been less trusted – and there is shocking inequality in access to higher education. Should we imagine a different system? Josie McLellan, Richard Pettigrew and Tom Sperlinger think we should

Monday 24 September 2018 17:40 BST
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It is important to break down the socioeconomic and cultural barriers to access to study at institutions such as Oxford
It is important to break down the socioeconomic and cultural barriers to access to study at institutions such as Oxford

Cara was 34 when she arrived at the entrance to the English department at the University of Bristol, to be interviewed for a foundation year. She had been out of education for more than a decade and had no formal qualifications. The department is located in a large 19th century villa on a road in Clifton, the wealthiest suburb of the city.

It was an unseasonably hot day in March, and I was interviewing in a colleague’s office at the top of the building. It seemed to be collecting all of the heat from elsewhere in the building, and even with the window open, the air felt stagnant.

I knew from Cara’s application form that she hoped to progress from the foundation year to a degree in English, so I mentioned that where we were now would be her home department. I don’t think it helped.

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