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The University of St Andrews has defended its fair access programme following criticism by the National Union of Students (NUS) in Scotland.However, the institution has called for more effort to encourage a belief and culture of openness and accessibility in the university system.
In a statement to the BBC, the university said: "We need much more support from society at large to engender the belief in young people that the brightest can come here."
The university highlighted its ongoing outreach work to improve fair access, but added that "as long as we do that in isolation … our progress will be limited".
NUS Scotland indicated that only 13 Scottish students from the most deprived backgrounds were accepted to St Andrews in 2010/11.
The universities of Edinburgh and Aberdeen accepted 91 and 51 students in this demographic respectively.
NUS Scotland President Robin Parker described the statistics as shocking, adding that universities need to do more to widen access.
Posted by Tony Thomas
