Do high tuition fees make a difference? Characteristics of applicants to UK medical and dental schools before and after the introduction of high tuition fees in 2012

Abstract

Aim To compare trends in the volume, socio-demography and academic experience of UK applicants and entrants to medicine and dentistry in the UK with university in general, before and after the major increase in university fees in England in 2012.Methods Descriptive trend analyses of University and College Admissions Services (UCAS) data for focused (preferred subject was medicine or dentistry) and accepted applicants, 2010-14, compared with university in general in relation to socio-demography (age, sex, ethnicity, POLAR 2, region) and academic experience (school type). POLAR2 data provide an indication of the likelihood of young people in the area participating in further or higher education.Results In 2012 the volume of applicants to medicine and dentistry fell by 2.4% and 7.8% respectively, compared with 6.6% for university overall. Medical applications remained buoyant and by 2014 had risen by 10.2% from 2010 to 23,365. While dental applications fell in both 2012 and 2013, they had increased by 15.6% to 3,410 in 2014, above 2010 levels. Females formed the majority of applicants, and admissions, with the proportion gaining admission to dentistry in 2014 reaching an all-time high (64%), exceeding medicine (56%), and university in general (56%). Mature admissions to dentistry were at their highest in 2010 (29%) falling to 21% in 2014, compared with 22-24% in medicine. Black and minority ethnic group admissions to university, although rising (24% in 2014), are still less than for medicine (34%) and dentistry (48%). In 2013, just over half of the students admitted to dentistry were from BME groups (51%) for dentistry. Among UK applicants <19 years, over 60% of applicants, and 70% of accepted applicants, to medicine and dentistry are from the top two POLAR2 quintiles representing areas of high participation in education; however, in 2014 there was a notable increase in the proportion of applications from the lower two quintiles to dentistry (19%) and medicine (20%), with a very modest increase in those gaining admission over 2012 (14% of both; cf 10% and 12% respectively).Discussion The findings suggest that the short-term impact of the 2012 rise in fees had a greater influence on the volume and nature of applicants to dentistry than medicine, and that both programmes are gaining in popularity, despite high fees and reduced places. Dentistry remains particularly attractive to Asians, and females, the latter forming an increasing majority of students. While there is some recovery, social inequalities exist and present a challenge for widening participation in the professions.

Embarking on a professional career: social advantage in dentistry and medicine. UK dental and medical student applications and admissions, 1996-2011

“…That said, the social gradient in dentistry is not as marked as medicine as exemplified by attracting a higher proportion of state school students, whist medicine is attracting more representative levels of white and black students and achieving greater balance between females and males. This this paper provides robust evidence that the patterns reported in previous cross-sectional research in relation to gender, social status and ethnicity (13,32) are clearly evident over time and builds on the research in medicine. (33) Additionally, it highlights major differences between the devolved nations and England and that both programmes are very attractive to Londoners and least attractive to English pupils outside of London which has implications for our future healthcare workforce.…”

“…(9)(10)(11) All medical and dental schools in England and Wales as part of Russell group universities opted to charge students the maximum fees; and, thus, have been required to implement widening participation initiatives to encourage and support students from disadvantaged backgrounds entering medical and dental courses. (12,13) Second, new dental and medical schools were opened to build workforce capacity; (14)(15)(16) and university places were expanded, (5,17) together with introduction of graduate-entry programmes. (18,19) All four UK nations have had a policy of increasing the proportion of young people entering higher education.…”

“…(30) Past cross-sectional analyses of the two courses suggest that dentistry attracts, and admits, more females than males, in parallel with medicine and universities as a whole. (13,31) Also, that dentistry is more attractive to minority ethnic applicants than medicine and university in general, with gender, ethnicity, maturity, and school type associated with probability of acceptance for dentistry, (32) and the challenges associated with the introduction of higher fees. (13) Whilst a recent paper highlights certain trends in medicine, no analyses, to the knowledge of the authors, have explored and compared trends over time and the implications of tariff on admission.…”

“…(13,31) Also, that dentistry is more attractive to minority ethnic applicants than medicine and university in general, with gender, ethnicity, maturity, and school type associated with probability of acceptance for dentistry, (32) and the challenges associated with the introduction of higher fees. (13) Whilst a recent paper highlights certain trends in medicine, no analyses, to the knowledge of the authors, have explored and compared trends over time and the implications of tariff on admission. (33) Trend analysis will provide the opportunity to examine the predictors of acceptance to these two courses, enabling comparisons and thus inform the current debate on access to higher education for dentistry and medicine.…”

Exploring the ethnic diversity of UK dentistry

“…Clearly, more research is needed to broaden our knowledge base on the barriers that people from BAME backgrounds encounter with aspirations to study dentistry. The over-representation of quantitative surveys and workforce analysis (see Bedi and Goldthorpe, 2000;Newton and Gibbons, 2001;Woolf et al, 2011;Dental Schools Council, 2017;Gallagher et al, 2017;Niven et al, 2013) has meant that the "voice" of minorities within the profession has been marginalised or forgotten. Adopting a mixed methods research methodology could generate novel information that will help us to support all students, but especially ethnic minority students, in professional education.…”