New million+ report confirms that modern universities boost social mobility
University think-tank million+ today (Monday) published a report which examined the levels of social mobility generated by modern universities.
The report, Social Mobility: universities changing lives defined social mobility in two ways – first as movement into higher status occupations and second, as the opportunity for increased earnings.
The research analysed data from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) and found that modern universities are creating significant social mobility by occupation group and showed that graduates from modern universities earn significantly more than they would had they not gone to university at all. The research team interviewed graduates whose lives and prospects had been changed by studying at university and a number of graduate case-studies are included in the report.
Key findings:
- On entry to university, 8% of the student cohort came from professional families. Three and a half years after graduating, 17% of these students had similar professional or managerial careers.
- Three and a half years after graduating, wages of graduates from million+ member universities are likely to be nearly 15% higher than wages of people who have lower qualifications, many of whom could have progressed to university but did not do so
- Modern universities have a more diverse student profile including a higher proportion of black, Asian, female and older students compared to the average for all UK universities. This provides opportunities for social mobility across a very broad section of the population and in respect of other equality indicators.
- These universities are offering this social mobility on a significant scale and educate over half of the UK’s higher education students.
The report argues for a broader perspective to be brought to the policy debate about the social mobility created by universities – rather than one focused on encouraging a few thousand high achievers from working class backgrounds accessing a small number of traditional universities. The report makes the case for generating social mobility through transforming the lives of large numbers of students who otherwise would not have gone to university.
Professor Les Ebdon CBE Chair of university think-tank million+ and Vice Chancellor of the University of Bedfordshire said, “This report proves the social mobility pessimists wrong. New generations of students have been encouraged by the Government to apply to university. By supporting their aspirations, modern universities have contributed to significant improvements in social mobility.
“We welcome the fact that all of the main political parties in the UK now say they are committed to improving social mobility. They must now be willing to fund universities so that they can meet the demand for university places of students in 2009 and beyond.”
Social Mobility: universities changing lives makes some key recommendations to policymakers and calls for more people to get the chance to progress by going to university. This will require renewed and sustained efforts to widen participation and enhanced investment by Government in university student numbers.
ENDS
Notes to editors
- million+ is a leading university think-tank with 28 university members, working to solve the complex problems in higher education. www.millionplus.ac.uk
- The research was undertaken by million+ with Matt Rodda who led the research with support from Louise Tilbury. Some of the quantitative elements of the report are based on work undertaken by Sarah Tough and her colleagues at the Institute of Education, University of London.
- The report will be launched at the million+ annual reception (evening Monday 30th) in the House of Commons hosted by Stephen Williams MP and addressed by the Minister for Higher Education and Intellectual Property, David Lammy.
- The report can be downloaded from www.millionplus.ac.uk/file_download/10/MOBILITY_190309.pdf
- For more information or to speak to any of the graduate case studies or Professor Les Ebdon please contact Gemma Tumelty, Public Affairs Officer on 0207 7171657 or 07900 277819