Since tuition fees increased dramatically in the early years of the coalition, the government was warned against putting poorer students off going to university. Now, Chris Millward the former university access government tsar, has come out to accuse the government of “crude and regressive measures” in reducing the number of university places.

Director for Fair Access

For the last four years, Millward worked as the first director of fair access with the Office for Students. That role ended just before Christmas 2021, and he now works as an academic professor at University of Birmingham.

He pointed to government measures limiting funding, forcing department closures and other active measures. With the number of 18-year-olds set to continually increase with natural population growth and the early 2000s spike in births, he says the measures are socially divisive.

More FE and Work

It recently became government policy to decrease the number of university students. This has not been stated outright, but a tightening of minimum entry GCSE and A-Level grades to access student loans is expected. It has come through announcements that the government will funnel more effort into encouraging young people to seek more opportunities in Further Education and entry-level employment roles to learn a career on the job.

However, Millward pointed out that despite the number of deferrals, a record number of students began university during the COVID-19 pandemic. Students and their parents still see university as the best possible start to a young person’s career and will resist these new measures.

Bad for Students

Millward still believes it is possible for 50% of all young people to attend university, increase social mobility, and benefit themselves – something Tony Blair originally stated when in government. The widely expected measures to tighten GCSE and A-level eligibility for loans will decrease social mobility, according to critics.

Millward pointed out that there is a strong correlation between one’s social upbringing and their school grades with schools in more deprived areas fail. Data suggests some 48% of disadvantaged students currently eligible for a loan would become ineligible under the new plans.

Bad For Higher Education and the Economy

Not only will it be bad for young people to have fewer such opportunities; it would also be bad for the UK’s world leading universities.

Professor of Social Mobility at University of Exeter Lee Elliot Major pointed out that past data shows limiting university places impacts poorer students more than those from wealthier socioeconomic backgrounds. Alistair Jarvis, the CEO of Universities UK, echoed this sentiment, pointing out that the future economy will be highly and multiskilled, and university provides that better than most other outlets, that “a knowledge-based economy” must produce more degree educated people.