Entry to Elite Positions and the Stratification of Higher Education in Britain

Abstract

We use the Great British Class Survey to examine the association between social background, university attended and social position for over 85,000 graduates. This unique dataset allows us to look beyond the very early labour market experiences of graduates investigated in previous studies and to examine the outcome of attending particular institutions. We find strong evidence of distinct stratification of outcomes by university attended, even within the prestigious Russell Group. There are marked differences in entry to elite positions for graduates of different universities, with sharp gradients in levels of economic capital in particular. The 'golden triangle' of Oxford, Cambridge and certain London institutions emerges as a distinct elite. However, even within that grouping there are striking differences, with Oxford ahead of Cambridge on several measures. These findings underline the importance of a geographically concentrated set of elite universities in channelling access to top positions in British society.Over recent decades, there has been increasing academic and policy interest in the impact of higher education on social mobility and entry to elite occupations. These concerns are fuelled by the marketization of the higher education sector and recognition that its dramatic expansion requires a more fine-grained analysis, distinguishing between the fortunes of graduates from different universities. Although the proliferation of league tables has generated strong recognition of pecking orders, status and funding hierarchies, these have rarely been linked to systematic social scientific studies of social reproduction or elite recruitment. We address this deficiency by using the BBC's Great British Class Survey (GBCS). This provides a uniquely granular account of attendance at specific universities, and studying specific subjects, in facilitating access to socially advantaged positions, situating this analysis in the context of other contributory factors.

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