Edinburgh University is one of the worst in the country for admitting working class students

Only 18.7 per cent of all students come from a working class background


A HESA (Higher Education Statistics Agency) assessment has revealed that only 18.7 per cent of Edinburgh students come from a working class background.

This statistic is 12th lowest in the country, with Oxford’s 10 per cent taking the bottom spot. Edinburgh didn’t fare well in relation to its neighbours either, with Glasgow having 21.4 per cent working class students and Stirling a far sturdier 32 per cent.

Chancellor’s Court has a 70 per cent private school population

Kings’ College London was the Russell Group uni to accept the most working class students, with 26.4 per cent coming from working class backgrounds.

Following on from  the controversy which compared the university to being a ‘finishing school’, these figures serve to add even more emphasis to the issues  students from lower socio-economic backgrounds face when going into Higher Education, not just at Edinburgh but in the wider United Kingdom itself.

Featured image credit – Neil Stewart Photography