Using individual-level contextual indicators to identify disadvantaged applicants: Evidence from the Foundation Year at Lady Margaret Hall, a college of Oxford University

Abstract

This provides a working example of how individual-level contextual indicators could be used to target widening-participation interventions specifically for students from low socioeconomic status (low-SES) groups. It is based on the experience of developing selection criteria to identify disadvantaged students for a Foundation Year at Lady Margaret Hall (LMH), a college of Oxford University. The process built on the body of published academic work looking at the most suitable contextual indicators, and the outcome offers a case study of how suitable individual-level indicators can be effectively collected and verified. Data from applications made to the LMH Foundation Year 2017-2019 showing interaction between individual-level and area-level contextual indicators of disadvantage