Association of Colleges

Oxbridge admissions and free school meals

Publication date: 10 March 2010

Colleges send 750 students a year to Oxford and Cambridge Universities ⁽¹⁾ but none of them get free meals after the age of 16 because of a long-standing government policy.

The political parties are arguing on a point of statistics  but are missing a bigger point that tens of thousands ⁽²⁾ of 16 and 17 year olds cannot get free school meals because they go to college rather than stay on at school. The government has acknowledged that this needs investigating and issued a consultation ⁽³⁾ on financial support for young people but, three months later, is still to take action.

Notes:

1. In 2008, Oxford University accepted 401 students from Colleges (298 from sixth form colleges, 103 from further education colleges) (http://www.ox.ac.uk/gazette/2008-9/supps/2_vol139.pdf). Cambridge University accepted 352 students (277 from sixth form colleges, 35 from further education colleges and 40 from tertiary colleges) (http://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/reporter/2008-09/special/17/undergraduate_admissions_reporter.pdf)
    
    
2. AoC estimates that 90,000 young people aged 16 and 17 are missing out because of this policy
    
3. AoC response to the 16-18 financial support consultation:
   http://www.aoc.co.uk/en/Policy_and_Advisory_Work/policy_papers/
    

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