State school pupils less discriminating over which university they attend

Researchers are finding that when it comes to university choices, state school pupils care about getting a higher education but are less concerned about where it comes from.

Pupils from independent schools are more likely to aim for prestigious institutions, a fact borne out by last year's increase in the acceptance rate of Independent Schools Council pupils at Russell Group universities to 65.6% (it was 62.5% in 2006).

Studying at one of the 20 Russell Group universities - Birmingham, Bristol, Cambridge, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham, Queen's (Belfast), Oxford, Sheffield, Southampton, Warwick and Imperial, King's, LSE and UCL in London - can add up to extra earnings of approximately £3,000 per year for entry-level graduate jobs. Over the course of their working lives, Russell Group graduates tend to earn between 6% and 10% more than other graduates, depending on their choice of course.

However, new research from the Sutton Trust has found that 51% of state school pupils don't expect their choice of university to impact on their future earnings. Only 35% of independent school pupils think the same way.

Other research from the Institute of Education in London found that, Oxford and Cambridge aside, many state schools don't highlight the difference in status between one choice of university and another. State school pupils who are first-generation university applicants are the least likely to discriminate over the perceived rank of an institution.

Academics are concerned that prestigious universities are missing out on the best applicants because they are not being given the information and encouragement needed to apply.

'Pupils should not be disadvantaged in making these decisions by their background or the type of school they happen to attend,' said says Sutton Trust chairman, Sir Peter Lampl.

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