Cambridge University scraps state school admission targets – report

The University of Cambridge has dropped its state school undergraduate admission targets, but said it would still take applicants’ schools into account, a report says.

The Daily Telegraph said the university proposed to remove targets for the share of private or state students earning a place.

Cambridge had beaten its targets from the previous five-year access plan in increasing state school numbers to 69.1%, with the number of new students from state schools rising to just under 73% in 2022-23.

The university is working on a new access plan which will run from the 2025-26 to 2028-29 academic years.

A spokesperson from Cambridge University told the Telegraph: “We will continue to take into account an applicant’s schooling, particularly if they come from a school which has not seen many applications to Cambridge.

“Other socio-economic factors will also be considered in the application process to indicate disadvantage of opportunity, as occurs at present.

“Consideration of an applicant’s school type in isolation is not a factor that the Office for Students would expect to see as a specific target in the access and participation plan, however.”

In March last year, former vice-chancellor Professor Stephen Toope told private schools to accept they will get fewer students into Oxford and Cambridge in the future.

Professor Toope said the university would be “welcoming others” rather than telling students from private schools “we don’t want you”.