Top universities pledge more support to help care leavers

TOP universities have pledged more support for care leavers - including contextual admissions and bursaries - to get more disadvantaged young people into higher education.

- ELEANOR BUSBY Press Association reporter

The Russell Group, which represents many of the most selective universities in the UK, has also set out a plan to improve the transparency and consistency of policies for contextual offers.

In a report, the group of 24 research-intensive universities made a series of commitments to improve access for under-represented students.

It comes after Universities UK (UUK), which represents 141 universities, recently called for evidence to better understand how universities use contextual admissions which take into account a student's circumstances and background to recognise the barriers they have faced.

Practices already used by universities to help young people from disadvantaged backgrounds progress into higher education include reducing offer requirements and guaranteeing interviews.

Russell Group universities will now launch a taskforce to develop practical methods to “bring consistency to the language used” for contextual admissions policies across their institutions.