Top universities retain elitist credentials

Young people from socially disadvantaged families choose less prestigious institutions than their middle-class peers, according to researchers at the University of Glasgow.

Alasdair Forsyth and Andy Furlong questioned 500 Scottish 17-year-olds who attended schools with a record of sending fewer than average leavers into higher education.

They concluded that the costs of higher education and the prospect of debt meant that students from poorer families chose to follow vocational courses at local institutions and more often opted for part-time courses.