Lancaster professor believes more should be done to support local students at universities

A Lancaster professor believes more should be done to support local students at universities.

Professor Paul Ashwin has argued that a lack of outreach and high entry requirements may lead local students to believe universities within their communities are not for them.

This comes after findings that local students only make up ten to fifteen per cent of the student body at some elite UK universities.

The Boar reports that international students outnumber local students at universities, with globalisation potentially affecting these numbers. A study reveals that only thirteen per cent of Warwick students come from the West Midlands, one of the lowest percentages at elite UK universities.

Professor Ashwin claims high entry requirements and insufficient outreach programmes are the biggest factors pushing local students away from higher education.

He told Times Higher Education that fewer local students can cause “a sense that whilst [the university] is located in the community, it is not a part of the community with local people feeling that it is ‘not for them’.”

The professor added that universities play a key role in sharing knowledge, and if this is unsuccessful, it can lead to higher tensions between students and the local community.

International students are important for many universities’ financial sustainability, as they pay between £11,000 and £38,000 a year – a much higher fee than home students.

At Lancaster University, international students comprise 34 per cent of the student body and around 25 per cent of the university’s total income. In the academic year 2023/24, around 40 per cent of Lancaster University home students were from North West England, with 17 per cent being from Lancashire or Cumbria.

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Lancaster University currently invites schools and colleges on campus tours, gives talks, visits schools and colleges across the UK and individual departments run taster days.

The university library also offers research days for students completing A-Levels or EPQs, and allows students aged 16 or over to use the library study spaces. Lancaster University also runs the Access Lancaster programme, designed to support students’ post-16 education.

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