How Oxford's admissions work/Oxford Denies Discrimination Against Deaf Students

[Max]

How Oxford's admissions work


Brasenose says it followed the rules

A row has broken out over Oxford's refusal of a place to Anastasia Fedotova, an academically outstanding candidate who is also profoundly deaf.
The case has again thrown the spotlight on the university's admissions process - involving as it does interviews as well as exam results.

Around 3,000 applicants are accepted every year - but three times that number are interviewed.

Oxford uses interviews as a way of distinguishing between candidates because it is a given that, to stand a chance of a place, they will all have excellent academic credentials.

Allocations

Interviews and in some cases tests usually take place towards the end of each year.



The university has a lot of experience in dealing with special students

University spokesperson
Shortly afterwards, applicants get a letter from the college they applied to, either turning them down - as in Anastasia's case - or making an offer.

In all probability the offer will be conditional on their achieving certain grades in their exams the following summer.

Some candidates are made "pool" offers - firm places but without the college being specified.

The final allocations are made after the A-level results come out in August.

Interviews

Oxford says that more than 85% of applicants from the UK and Europe are invited for interviews, which usually take place over several days.

The aim is for tutors to assess candidates' abilities and in particular their potential.

"Remember that almost every applicant has good previous examination results and predicted grades; even school reports differ less than you might imagine," says the advice to candidates.

The exact arrangements vary slightly because individual tutors do things their own way.

A spokesperson for the university said the interview was only one part of the whole process.

Disabilities

The university does not discuss individual cases, but it is understood it has no reason to think that its admissions process was not followed properly in Anastasia's case.

The spokesperson said: "If candidates tell us they are likely to have a problem at interview, the tutor would get in touch with their school and ask what provision needs to be made."

This might mean having someone at the interview to do sign language, or - if candidates could lip read - ensuring the interviewers' faces were well lit, and perhaps allowing more time.

She added: "The university has a lot of experience in dealing with special students - those with dyslexia or who are blind or deaf, for instance, so that's not something new for us."

Last year there were a total of 11 students in the university who were profoundly deaf.

This year places were offered to four deaf candidates.

"Students with disabilities continue to choose Oxford in increasing numbers."

Loophole

A legal oddity is that, if there had been any discrimination, it would not have been against the law.

The existing legislation on disability excludes school and university admissions arrangements.

All this is about to change as a result of the new Special Educational Needs and Disability Act.

From next month it will be unlawful to treat a disabled student less favourably than others.

This will apply to the admissions process, the terms on which admissions offers are made, or by refusing an application on the grounds of disability.



The Laura Spence row



See also:


19 Aug 02 | Education
Oxford accused over student's rejection

25 Mar 02 | Education
Oxford 'cash for places' resignations

01 Mar 02 | Education
Oxbridge heads to Tyneside

20 Dec 01 | Education
Oxford donor's snub over son's rejection

22 Oct 01 | Education
Universities ordered to widen access

17 Jul 01 | Education
Oxford was right, says Laura

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Oxford University
Oxford disabilities guidelines
RNID

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"With every scientific advance, we grow closer to unlocking the mysteries of life and creation. But what have we gained if in the process, we lose our humanity. The most powerful thing we pass along to our children may not reside in the genes, but in the soul."
The Outer Limits(Criminal Nature)

[Max]

Oxford Denies Discrimination Against Deaf Students
By Mike Wendling
CNSNews.com London Bureau Chief
August 19, 2002

London (CNSNews.com) - One of Britain's most prestigious universities faced insinuations of discrimination Monday after a straight-A deaf student was denied admission to study mathematics.

Anastasia Fedotova of Manchester earned six top "A" grades in year-end exams, an outstanding result in an educational system where most students concentrate on only two or three subjects during their last two years of high school.

The student's mother, Elena Fedotova said Monday that she wasn't accusing Oxford University of deliberately discriminating against her daughter, but demanded to know exactly why her daughter wasn't admitted.

"I would just like to know what she has to do to get a place at Oxford," Mrs. Fedotova said by phone from the family's home in Manchester.

Because of her deafness, Anastasia may not have been very impressive in the interview stage of the admissions process, Mrs. Fedotova said. She said Anastasia was considering taking a year off before college and might apply to the equally prestigious Cambridge University.

"I think it's very unlikely that Oxford would reconsider their decision," she said, "but we would like to know what the issue was behind their refusal."

Mrs. Fedotova's request for an explanation was backed by the principal at her daughter's school and Tony Lloyd, the local member of parliament.

The National Deaf Children's Society (NDCS) said it could not comment in detail about the case, but that it "does raise the question of the best way to interview deaf young people."

"It is very important that universities and colleges do not confuse communication issues with lack of intelligence or ability," said Anne-Marie Hall, education development manager for the NDCS. "We would strongly recommend that anyone interviewing a deaf person undergoes deaf awareness training."

While a university spokeswoman said Oxford couldn't comment on individual cases, the school denied it discriminated and said it catered to the needs of disabled applicants.

"The interview is only one part of this process," the spokeswoman said. "When candidates declare that they have special requirements, provision will be made for them on a case-by-case basis, to ensure that they are able to demonstrate their full potential during all stages of the selection process."

"We are committed to providing equality of opportunity for all our students and give clear guidelines and training to admissions officers that are designed to ensure that no candidate is disadvantaged due to disability," the spokeswoman said.

Oxford said detailed letters are sent to schools attended by rejected applicants and that the university does its utmost to let students know why they were not admitted. The university said there is no "magic formula" of grades that will ensure admission and that the school regularly turns down straight-A students for a variety of reasons.

The university interviews about 9,000 students each year, but only accepts one-third of those questioned. Eleven deaf students currently attend the school.

Previous case

The case echoed allegations leveled at Oxford two years ago when another straight-A student, Laura Spence, was denied admission even though she had won a scholarship from a comparable American school: Harvard University.

The British press leapt on the fact that Spence, who wanted to study medicine, attended a public high school in a downtrodden region in northeast England.

Her case was even taken up by Chancellor (Treasury Secretary) Gordon Brown, who accused Oxford of elitism.

Spence, who attends Harvard, later admitted that Oxford had been right in denying her admission and said other candidates were more deserving of a spot at the school.

Although the government has reduced special subsidies for Oxford and Cambridge universities, the two institutions have retained their pre-eminent status among British colleges, educating a large proportion of the nation's political, business and media elite. Among Oxford's current pupils is former first daughter Chelsea Clinton.

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==============================
"With every scientific advance, we grow closer to unlocking the mysteries of life and creation. But what have we gained if in the process, we lose our humanity. The most powerful thing we pass along to our children may not reside in the genes, but in the soul."
The Outer Limits(Criminal Nature)