Higher education access and socioeconomic background: the role of information and guidance
EERC Working Paper · February 2026
Abstract
Gaps in higher education participation between students from advantaged and disadvantaged backgrounds remain large despite substantial growth in overall participation. One explanation is that disadvantaged students hold less accurate beliefs about the costs and benefits of higher education and face greater barriers to accessing quality careers guidance. This paper reports results from a randomised controlled trial in which information about graduate earnings, tuition fee financing, and the application process was delivered to Year 12 pupils in state schools in England.
We find that the intervention improved the accuracy of beliefs about graduate earnings and tuition fee repayment, particularly among pupils from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. These changes in beliefs translated into modest but statistically significant increases in UCAS application rates (approximately 3 percentage points) for pupils from the most disadvantaged quintile. Effects were concentrated among pupils who had previously underestimated graduate earnings, and were larger in schools without a dedicated careers lead.
Key findings
- Disadvantaged pupils underestimate graduate earnings by around 20% on average at baseline; advantaged pupils’ beliefs are closer to administrative benchmarks.
- Correcting earnings beliefs increases application rates for disadvantaged pupils, with no significant effect for advantaged pupils.
- The information intervention is low-cost (approximately £15 per pupil) and could be delivered at scale through existing school infrastructure.
- Effects on actual university enrolment will be reported in a follow-up paper using linked HESA data.
Policy implications
Improving information and guidance is not a substitute for structural changes to admissions and funding, but these results suggest it can complement broader access initiatives at low cost. Careers provision in schools — particularly in less affluent areas — warrants greater attention as a lever for widening participation.