Bristol Rejects
Bristol University has confirmed that it may reject candidates who appear to favour Oxbridge in their UCAS application forms.
Recent changes mean that university choices are no longer revealed on the UCAS form to prevent this type of discrimination. But Professor Eric Thomas, Bristol's Vice-Chancellor, said that it often remains possible to discern whether a student is also applying to Oxford or Cambridge: "Some personal statements are entirely focused on the course being applied for at Oxbridge."
A spokesman for Bristol University suggested that it was reasonable that candidates who expressed a preference for a particular university should not expect to be inundated with other offers.
Thomas continued: "Why should they offer a place to someone who makes no mention of the special characteristics of their course when they have literally hundreds of applicants who do?"
29th Jan 2004