Ten Oxford and six Cambridge university colleges did not have a single black British A-level student in 2015, new figures have revealed. There are also significant regional disparities in the proportion of students getting into Oxbridge, with many areas of England and Wales failing to secure a single place for years on end.
Despite efforts by both universities to increase the diversity of their intake, research shows there are still areas of the country with low rates of application and disproportionately fewer offers.
Oxbridge has also slipped backwards in terms of students’ socio-economic backgrounds, with proportionately more from the most privileged backgrounds winning places in 2015 compared with five years earlier, according to Guardian analysis.
Share your experiences
We’d like to find out about diversity at the two universities. Do you have a personal experience to share either as a current or prospective BAME student? Have you tried and failed to secure a place at either university? Do you live in one of the areas of the country that have not had any students at Oxbridge in recent years? What do you think the issues are and what changes would you like to see to improve diversity? If you have had positive experiences, please share those, too.
We would also like to hear from staff at Oxford and Cambridge – what are your views on this issue? Could more be done to make both universities more inclusive?
