Needy Students' Access to Elite Colleges Limited -- and Not Just in U.S.

Children with professional parents are about three times likelier than those with working-class parents to be admitted to the most selective universities in England and Australia as well as the United States, according to a study reported by Times Higher Education. The study, produced in conjunction with a conference sponsored by the Sutton Trust, a British philanthropy focused on educational access for those with low-income backgrounds, concludes that while a significant portion of the gap in access can be explained by differences in educational preparation, about a quarter of it cannot.