Private school pupils twice as likely as state school students to need three As to get into Bristol Uni

76 per cent of privately educated students need 3 As in comparison to only 40 per cent of state school students


The University of Bristol is twice as likely to ask private school pupils to achieve top grades than those in state education.

Figures revealed in a Freedom of Information request sent by The Telegraph show 76 per cent of privately educated students who gained a conditional offer for Bristol last year entry grades were set at three As or higher.

This represents a dramatic difference from the 40 per cent of state school students who were told that they had to achieve these same grades to secure their place at the university.

For the most competitive subjects this gap noticeably increases as 94 per cent of private school pupils who desired to study maths were told they needed straight As, compared to only 52 per cent of state school students who were asked to achieve the same feat.

Almost every student at a private school, aspiring to study English and History, was informed that they needed to obtain at least three As.

However, Bristol is not alone in implementing a higher barrier of entry for private school students with other top Russell Group universities, such as Exeter and York, having similar statistics.

Statistics like these, reflecting such disparity, have led to claims that privately educated pupils are being discriminated against by universities.

Figures show that 73 per cent of last year’s undergraduates at Bristol University were state school educated, emphasising that it is becoming more difficult for private school pupils to obtain a place at the university.

A spokesperson for the University said: “We use contextual offers as we recognise that a students’ potential may not always be reflected in their predicted grades; especially if they have been affected by educational or domestic disadvantage. Rather than promoting a culture of low expectations, our sector-leading contextual offer scheme creates an opportunity for student from all background to apply to our university, with the confidence that they will succeed when they study with us.”.

This response reflects what the Office for Students, the regulator for the higher education sector in England, have been telling universities to do: taking a range of social factors into account when making offers to prospective students.

The Bristol University’s spokesperson added: “It has helped to diversify our student community and we’re proud of the outstanding students we’ve recruited through this approach”.

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