Students who are the first in their family to attend college tend to see it as a means to improve their personal lives and as an opportunity for social mobility. That contrasts with the main message students get from policymakers and universities that largely emphasize career growth. This is the main finding from interviews we conducted with […] … learn more→

Higher education has long been associated with the promise of a good life. Participation, however, has no guarantees. Former prime minister Gough Whitlam argued that Australia’s higher education system was not straightforwardly a “great instrument for the promotion of equality”. Instead, it mainly functioned as “a weapon for perpetuating inequality and promoting privilege”. Scholars, too, have demonstrated […] … learn more→

When it comes to university choices for both students and academics, it might seem like everyone wants to study and work in the institutions that top the league tables and the world rankings – but research seems to indicate this isn’t the case. As part of the background analysis for my new book Experiences of Academics from a […] … learn more→

For two decades, social mobility has been a central concern in British politics. Increasing equality of opportunity, in the context of rising inequalities between people’s lives, has been a shared goal across the party political spectrum. Politicians have also agreed that educational policy is crucial to achieving this goal. This has made the thrust of […] … learn more→

Educators around the world, particularly those in secondary schools, often default to a compelling story when they are trying to motivate their students: Work hard, achieve well and you will secure a successful future with attractive job prospects. This is currently the conventional wisdom across much of the Western world, with strong links drawn between […] … learn more→

Despite the growing number of young people attending university, comparatively few disadvantaged students are accepted into Britain’s most prestigious institutions. Many of the most selective universities have missed recent targets to improve access, as the least privileged students remain more than eight times less likely to gain places than their peers from the most prosperous […] … learn more→

Lord Willetts understands higher education and academics very well. He was never more accurate than when he said in 2011 that you don’t become an academic to improve social mobility. While the government might set more targets for access to higher education and put social mobility in the title of its policy papers for the […] … learn more→