Third of students who get right grades for Oxbridge do not choose to apply

One third of “brilliant” A-level students who get the grades to enrol at Oxbridge do not even apply, it has emerged.

Research from London tutor agency The Profs found that at least 6,000 students with straight A-grades did not send in an application to Oxford or Cambridge last year. The education consultancy said a “fear of failure” was holding students back.

Its research was published today to mark the deadline for applications to the two universities.

Leo Evans, founder of The Profs, which provides tutors and advises prospective university applicants, said: “Students are shooting below where they want to go because it feels safer.

“We would say, ‘you have six Ucas choices so go for it’. I don’t want to have a dig at schools but there is an expectation mismatch. Parents, students and teachers all say it’s a daunting thing so err on the side of caution — but why?”

Joseph Robbins, head of university applications at The Profs, analysed A-level results from last year and cross- referenced them with Oxbridge admissions data. He found that more than 20,000 candidates achieved at least A*AA grades — enough to win a place at the top universities. But just fewer than 14,000 actually applied.

Mr Evans said: “A lot of people have a perception of elitism and think it’s not right for them. They maybe don’t want to go, or don’t know they can. We deal with students who don’t realise they can go there. In a lot of people there is a fear of failure. They don’t want to be let down or fail so they go for something ‘realistic.’ We say if you have the grades you should go for it... roll the dice.

“We have helped a lot of people to make the decision to go for it and they have got in — and they are so shocked.”

The Profs also surveyed 1,000 parents of A-level students across the country. They found mothers and fathers in London are the most likely to want their children to apply to Oxbridge.

Nationally, 65 per cent of parents said they would want their child to apply if they got the right grades, while in London the figure was 84 per cent.

The survey also revealed that just 12 per cent of UK parents fully understood how the Oxbridge application system works. In London the figure was 16.5 per cent.

Mr Evans said: “There is no doubt London parents have a higher propensity to send their children to Oxbridge. One of the most shocking things I have seen is the number of brilliantly intelligent students who didn’t even consider it.”

Alan Smithers, professor of education at Buckingham university, said: “Too many children think Oxbridge is not for people ‘like them’. Sometimes schools perhaps don’t know enough about Oxbridge and are not providing encouragement.”

He added: “Young people themselves may be a bit unsure. They may be brighter than they think, but worry that if they are going to be among the really top people they will struggle, so settle for their comfort zone.”