A university group says that the government’s review of tuition fees in England should make a priority of finding ways to attract more mature and part-time students.
The Million Plus group says there is a “huge pool of untapped potential” among adults who missed out on university.
After fees increased in 2012, mature student numbers fell by 20%.
Les Ebdon, head of the university access watchdog, backed calls to reverse this “very worrying trend”.
Mature students – counted as people starting courses at the age of 21 or over – were among the most likely to be deterred by the raising of tuition fees to £9,000 in 2012, which have since risen again to £9,250. Read more