If current trends continue there will be fewer male undergraduates than students from disadvantaged backgrounds, according to UCAS (the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service).

Helen Thorne, UCAS’s director of external relations, told the National Education Opportunities Network (NEON) symposium at the University of Sussex, which was held this week, that within 10 years men might become the most under-represented group.

She told the audience of more than 120 widening access specialists from leading universities that the gap between students from disadvantaged backgrounds with their richer peers was narrowing largely because of applications from female students with a combination of A levels and BTEC qualifications.

“If the gap between the most and the least disadvantaged students continues to narrow at the same rate and the gap between young men and young women continues to widen at the same rate, then in 10 years young men will be more under-represented than disadvantaged students,” said Ms Thorne.

Sussex has overcome the attainment gap between richer and poorer students and eliminated the gap between Home and European (HEU) Black Minority Ethnic students and their white peers.

Professor Clare Mackie, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Teaching and Learning) at Sussex, told delegates that approximately 90 per cent of its undergraduates are from state schools, which was "unusual" for a research-intensive university.

She said that the University’s First Generation Scholars (students whose parents are not university educated) are now outperforming their peers who are following in their parents’ footsteps to university.

Overall this summer, 76 per cent of Sussex undergraduates achieved a ‘good honours’ (1st or 2:1) degree in their final exams. When international students, who are working in a second language are taken out, 80 per cent of students obtained good degrees.

This figure is outstripped by First Generation Scholars – some 85 per cent of whom obtained a 1st or a 2:1. First Generation Scholars who receive means-tested scholarships did best of all, with 88 per cent achieving top marks.

Home Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) students have also closed the national gap in attainment, with 82 per cent achieving good degrees, said Professor Mackie. This compares with only 50 per cent of BME students achieving the highest marks just two years ago.

Professor Mackie, who described herself as a “socialist at heart”, said the University had responded to the new £9,000 HEU fees by establishing the First Generation Scholarship scheme to promote social mobility and attainment of students who were the first in their family to go to university.

In addition to means-tested scholarships, the scheme seeks to raise aspirations of this group of students by offering extra-curricular activities such as workshops on study skills and leadership to build confidence and social networks for students to improve their employability and life chances.

One example is the ‘sports buddy’ scheme that matches First Generation Scholars with international students to encourage engagement in team sports. “We are not just interested in the academic side, we are enhancing social mobility and networking too,” she said.

The University also began investing significant funds into widening participation by reaching out to school children from communities where university education is not the norm.

“I am a first-generation scholar myself – both my parents left school when they were 12,” said Professor Mackie. “I prefer the Scottish system – you can tell from my Glasgow accent. I think education, health and welfare should be free to all,” she said.