Edinburgh University – ranked among the top 20 in the world – was criticised after it emerged that admissions tutors favoured students from Scotland and northern England.

Entry policies published by the university state that weighting is given to “local” applicants to make sure they do not miss out on the most popular courses.

But the move was described as “potentially illegal and racist” by headteachers amid claims students from outside the target area face discrimination.

Brighton College, the fee-paying school on the south coast, said that more than half of its pupils applying to other elite institutions such as Oxford, Cambridge, University College London, Bristol and Durham have been given offers this year.

But only two out of 27 applicants to Edinburgh have been successful.

Other schools outside the university’s northern “catchment area”, including King’s College School, Wimbledon, have also been affected.

Richard Cairns, the Brighton headmaster, said: “I think it is outrageous that any university should discriminate against young people because of where they live.

“Scotland used to have a proud tradition of looking outwards and attracting some of the greatest international minds to its universities.

“Edinburgh has opted to turn in on itself and in a manner that strikes me as potentially both illegal and racist.”

Universities across the UK are free to set their own admissions policies.

Most highly sought-after institutions show favour to students from particular schools, including giving weighting to exceptional candidates from poor-performing comprehensives…. Continue reading