Lost Talent, Lost Progress: Opening Access to Top Universities

High-achieving students from disadvantaged backgrounds are still underrepresented at the most prestigious universities – not because of a lack of ability, but because information and outreach, selection processes, and scholarship access are unequally distributed. Drawing on student-led work in Project Access Germany (mentoring, resources, and policy outreach), we ask: which barriers matter most, and what can universities, funders and student initiatives do that is evidence-informed and scalable? Participants will leave with a practical ‘barrier map’, examples of effective and low-cost interventions, and inspiration to turn mentoring insights into more equitable institutional policy.

Literatur: Bell, A. M., Chetty, R., Jaravel, X., Petkova, N., & Van Reenen, J. (2019). Who becomes an inventor in America? The importance of exposure to innovation. The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 134(2), 647–713. Bourdieu, P. (1986). The forms of capital. In J. G. Richardson (Ed.), Handbook of theory and research for the sociology of education (pp. 241–258). Greenwood Press. Jack, A. A. (2019). The privileged poor: How elite colleges are failing disadvantaged students. Harvard University Press Montacute, R., & Cullinane, C. (2023). 25 years of university access: How access to higher education has changed over time. The Sutton Trust.

Beitragende: Dr. Franz Rembart