In a survey of just under 1,000 Russell Group university undergraduates, researchers found almost three-quarters (73 percent) believed university access budgets would be better spent helping potential students succeed at school by improving their A-level and GCSE results, independent.co.uk wrote.
State-school educated students, who made up over 80 percent of the survey sample, were just as likely as those who were privately educated to disapprove of lower grade offers.
The findings come amid debate over how the UK’s top ranking universities can or should improve diversity on campus by supporting candidates from less advantaged backgrounds in undergraduate admissions.
Last year, the gap between rich and poor students being granted university places was found to have reached a record high, according to the most recent figures released by Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS).
Students who received free school meals — a long-time indicator of family poverty — are currently less than half as likely to enter higher education as their more affluent peers.
In response to the concerns, the government’s Social Mobility Advisory Group argued the case for bright students from poorly-performing schools in disadvantaged areas being given offers that require lower A-level grades than their more socially advantaged peers.
A number of institutions have since entertained the idea, including the University of Bristol, whose vice chancellor, Hugh Brady, said he was keen to make a step change' in opening up to students from all backgrounds.
However, according to the student opinion survey — commissioned by online service MyTutor, a community of over 3,500 tutors from the leading UK universities — nearly two-thirds (63 per cent) said lower entry grades for disadvantaged students could be perceived as patronizing.
Over half (58 percent) went so far as to suggest such a move could be counterproductive, as the students targeted were disproportionately at risk of dropping out.
Henri French, an aerospace engineering student at Bristol University, said giving prospective students lower offers risked students getting places on courses that they 'weren’t necessarily academically equipped to handle'.
“Studying for a degree can be stressful and I’ve seen situations where students have become overwhelmed by a course, quickly fall behind and drop out when they don’t get the same support they did at school,” he said.
Latest data from the Higher Education Statistics Agency suggested there has been a steady rise in the first-year dropout rate for young first-degree entrants from the most disadvantaged areas.
The figure was 8.8 percent in 2014-15, up from 8.2 percent the year before and 7.7 percent in 2012-13.
An overwhelming majority (72 percent) of undergraduate students agreed applicants would benefit from the opportunity to talk to someone of a similar background studying the same course or attending the same institution before filling in their UCAS application.
Almost two in five (39 percent) also said first-term remedial lessons to help bring students up to speed are too little, too late.
More than one-third (37 percent) of undergraduates questioned said they had thought about quitting their studies at some point because the preconceived ideas they had about university life didn’t match up to reality.