The University of Cambridge was reported to have banned white working-class students from a postgraduate course at its School of Arts and Humanities (SAH).
The course was instead made available exclusively to students from under-represented groups. The school cited a greater reliance on Oxbridge applicants compared to other schools within the university, with Oxbridge pathways accounting for around 40% of applicants to the SAH, compared to 25-30% across the university.
The new scheme was said to address the “massive offer gaps between Oxbridge pathway and others”. The announcement sparked controversy as the requirement for non-white students was seen by many as discriminatory.
After concerns were raised by members of the university community, the university reversed its decision to ban white working-class students and announced a revised scheme based on socio-economic factors rather than race.
According to the revised scheme, the opportunity will be open to a wider group of students, including white working-class students.
The university’s scheme provides the opportunity for four interns to spend six weeks at the college over the summer. They will be paid the real living wage and given campus accommodation, with the students working 35 hours per week before writing a 4,000-word essay.
Critics have suggested that such opportunities should be available to all students based on merit and need, rather than ethnicity. Prof David Abulafia of Cambridge’s Gonville and Caius College said that it was good that the scheme was recalibrated so that the criterion is disadvantage rather than race.
A second Cambridge lecturer, Dr James Orr, expressed his belief that undergraduates from ethnic minorities do not require a helping hand from the university to progress to graduate research.
»University of Cambridge bans white working-class students from one of its postgraduate courses«
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