The vice-chancellor of Cambridge University has said she has been concerned that admissions were "skewed" towards London and south-east England.
Prof Deborah Prentice said in 2022 nearly half of Cambridge's undergraduates came from "those areas".
She said she wanted the university to "serve the UK as a whole".
Prof Prentice added that the institution wanted to attract students "whatever their background".
"In 2022 nearly half of our undergraduate students came from those areas, while just 7.7% of applications came from the north-west," said Prof Prentice.
"We want to attract the best talent and the brightest minds wherever they are, and whatever their backgrounds."
Prof Prentice said Cambridge had made "real progress" in recent years in welcoming a "more diverse" group of students.
She said proportion of students from state schools had "risen significantly".
A university spokesman said Prof Prentice had recently visited Manchester and Liverpool to speak to students, teachers and education leaders who work across the north west.
