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

Professor Paul Ashwin of higher education at Lancaster University, believes a lack of outreach and high entry requirements may lead local students to believe universities within their communities are not for them.

Paul Ashwin was originally quoted in the Times Higher Education and his quote was later republished in The Warwick Boar.

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 Warwick Boar article focused on the fact that international students outnumber local students and that globalisation may affect the representation of local students. This can be seen through a study revealing that only thirteen per cent of Warwick students come from the West Midlands, one of the lowest percentages of elite UK universities.

Lancaster Professor Paul Ashwin claims these situations occur through a mixture of high entry requirements and insufficient outreach programs.

Paul Ashwin told Times Higher Education the lack of local community connection due to a lack of local students can give rise to ““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’.”

He goes on to say universities have a key role in sharing knowledge and if this is unsuccessful, it can lead to higher tensions between students and the local community.

Universities are taking on higher amounts of international students, as they pay between £11,000 and £38,000 a year, a much higher fee than home students.

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At Lancaster University, international students currently make up 34 per cent of the student body and around 25 per cent of the university’s total income. In the academic year of 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.

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 over the age of 16 to use the library study spaces. Lancaster University also runs the Access Lancaster programme, designed to support students post-16 education from widening participation backgrounds.

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