Inequality among students on master’s and doctoral degrees could represent a “worrying” social mobility concern for the UK, a governmental advisory body has warned.
The Social Mobility Commission (SMC) also found that the disparity in higher education entry rates is one of the largest gaps monitored in its second annual State of the Nation report for 2023.
Alun Francis, chair of the advisory body, said that the traditional approach to social mobility focuses too much on the “university route”, pathways to professional careers and “long leaps in social mobility”.
Instead, he advocated for a wider focus – with this year’s report separating higher degrees from first degrees and using a more detailed class structure.
