MORE ring-fenced places for poorer students are required if ambitious targets on improving access to university are to be achieved, academics have warned.

A report by Strathclyde University also found the policy of making it mandatory for institutions to expand numbers of disadvantaged students was key to progress.

The Scottish Government has made it a priority to improve the country’s record on university access and introduced specific funded places for a three year period from 2013/14.

The move saw thousands of extra students recruited, but universities are now expected to pay for the places out of wider funding for teaching which is under increasing pressure from cuts.

Recent figures have shown just how far institutions have to go to meet ministerial targets for one fifth of students entering university by 2030 to be from Scotland’s 20 per cent most deprived communities.

Statistics from the Scottish Funding Council show the overall proportion at universities currently stands at just 10.4 per cent.

The report by a team of academics from Strathclyde University’s School of Education said: “Our analysis of trends in access in Scotland suggests there was a significant impact on progression rate for students to higher education... when additional protected places were provided for these applicants.

“Additional ring-fenced protected university places will be needed to achieve the long-term goals of equity of access.

“Furthermore, negotiating with or mandating higher education institutions to increase access to school leavers from disadvantaged backgrounds may contribute to the development of sustained access and improved representation of people from disadvantaged backgrounds at university.”

Read the full report

A spokeswoman for Universities Scotland, which represents principals, said the extra places had been welcome, but were not universal.

She said: “They were targeted at a few institutions where they helped ease the pressure of a strongly growing demand for places overall, but weren’t available to all institutions.

“Universities who received the places have now been asked to embed them within their existing funding and focus them solely on applicants from the 20 per cent most deprived postcodes.”

Vonnie Sandlan, president of student body NUS Scotland, said the report highlighted the importance of investment to ensure success.

She said: “It would be a huge loss to the thousands of young people who stand to benefit from those additional places if their original aims were forgotten.”

A Scottish Government spokesman said: “This is welcome confirmation of the positive impact of this investment in additional places.

“Funding decisions will, of course, be made as part of wider budget announcements.”

In 2014 First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said a child born in the country’s most deprived communities would have the same chance of going to university as a child born the most affluent.