Rich girls more likely to go to uni than boys

You are more likely to get a degree if you’re a rich young girl, according to a new report. 

Swathes of boys from poorer backgrounds stand less of a chance of going to university because of rising tuition fees – according to a report published today.

While a third of girls aged 18 go to uni, only a quarter of their male counterparts bother.

And in less affluent homes, the problem is far worse.

Girls from poorer backgrounds are 50 per cent more likely to go to uni than boys.

And rising fees could see middle class students face the biggest hit with loan repayments, whereas loans would be written off after 30 years for those on lower incomes, according to the report by the Independent Commission on Fees.

“Hard working grafters” would shoulder the cost for graduates with lower salaries, and those from poorer backgrounds who earn well paid jobs after they graduate could be hit the hardest.

It said: “This raises the concern that it is the hard-working ‘grafter’ in the middle that is shouldering much of the  cost. The impact of the new fees regime will only be felt by the majority in their middle age.”

Chancellor George Osborne said maintenance grants for disadvantaged students would be scrapped and replaced with loans, and some unis will be able to hike fees up beyond £9,000.

Without maintenance grants, poorer students who graduate with a good job could face even more hardship – with debts potentially totalling £55,000.

LSE Professor Anne West told The Times: “[These changes] are likely to have far-reaching negative effects on students from disadvantaged backgrounds. Our research has found that more affluent parents are better able to shield thier children from debt.”

The report comes after an NUS survey over a third of students would have been unable to go to uni without a maintenance grant.