CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY is offering a total of 52 students a special foundation course in a bid to increase the diversity of the student intake.
Focusing on some of the most disadvantaged groups and offering them a lower grade threshold to get on the course, Professor Stephen Toope, Cambridge University’s vice-chancellor, defended the move.
He said, “the Cambridge Foundation Year offers a fresh approach to widening participation at Cambridge. It is an innovative programme that aims to reach an entirely new field of Cambridge candidates, and to transform lives.”
“After all the planning that has gone into creating the Cambridge Foundation Year, and the hard work of many people across the university and colleges, I’m delighted that we have reached this important moment”, he added.
Cambridge is famous for its strict entry requirements. Usually, a minimum of A*AA at A-level is needed but three B grades are accepted for this course. It has been criticised for the privileged intake that only 2 per cent of students were white and working class.
Also, there were concerns about having a smaller number of students from ethnic minority backgrounds to study.
One in four students represented disadvantaged backgrounds and the University wants it to become three.
James Turner, chief executive of the Sutton Trust (leading organisation in the social mobility space in the UK), said: “Cambridge has made considerable progress in widening access over the last 20 years. But substantial gaps remain, so further, more innovative steps are very welcome.”
The new one-year foundation course is the first-ever pre-degree course conducted by the University. Application procedures included interviews and various meticulous assessment processes.
The course will be providing opportunities to students who may not have been able to reach their academic potential due to a variety of factors, including those who have been in care or come from low-income families.
Dr Alex Pryce, foundation year course director, said: “This is the first time in its history that Cambridge has run a pre-degree foundation year programme, aimed at talented applicants who might not otherwise consider applying to study here, and the number of applications we received shows that it is competitive and that there is a clear appetite for it.”
The first intake of the foundation course will begin in October 2022. Courses in arts, humanities and social sciences can be studied in one of the university’s 13 colleges and students can then progress to a choice of 18 degree courses without reapplying.
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