Minimum entry requirements for loans will impact poor and minority students

Get Nadine White's Race Report newsletter for a fresh perspective on the week's news Get our free newsletter from The Independent's Race Correspondent Get our free newsletter from The Independent's Race Correspondent SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy New minimum entry requirements for student loans would disproportionately impact pupils from poorer backgrounds and ethnic minorities, new analysis has found. Laura van der Erve, IFS The proposed GCSE minimum entry requirements, currently under consultation, would also have had a much greater impact on candidates from Black, British Pakistani or British Bangladeshi backgrounds. Laura van der Erve, senior research economist at the IFS and an author of the research, said: “A blanket minimum eligibility requirement would disproportionately impact students who haven’t had the same opportunities and support to meet the attainment threshold and would result in a widening of socio-economic gaps in access to university.” She said that it would be better to give extra support to make sure all pupils left school with basic levels of literacy and numeracy. “Other courses with low returns but considerable social value would also be impacted, including social work and education.” If enacted they would make a mockery of the government’s proclaimed commitment to levelling up Jo Grady, UCU University and College Union general secretary Jo Grady said: “This research provides yet more evidence that imposing student loan eligibility criteria would be an attack on the working class, with ministers attempting to slam the gate shut on those it deems unworthy of entering higher education.