Elite Universities Cut the One Degree Track That Admits Working-Class Students Easily

At Oxford, half of language applicants received 2025 offers versus 1 in 17 for economics. Cambridge admitted over 50% of modern language applicants but only 13–14% of engineering and psychology candidates. This disparity has made languages a rare entry point for state-school students without tutoring resources. Now University of Nottingham suspends Modern Languages recruitment for 2026–27, becoming the first Russell Group institution to offer no language degrees. Exeter has placed 70+ language academics at redundancy risk. Former education secretary Estelle Morris warns: middle-class students will study languages elsewhere; working-class students will not.