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I would like to make it clear that Bruce Charlton's views in the paper quoted in last week's Times Higher Education (which has not been peer reviewed) in no way reflect either the ethos or the practice of Newcastle University.

The university's policy is to encourage applications from all sectors of society and to consider each applicant on an individual basis.

We work very closely with schools and colleges to identify and encourage people who have the ability and potential to be successful at university, regardless of their backgrounds. Our admissions policy and our extensive widening-participation activities are designed to enable us to assess the potential of students to be successful at Newcastle, and our bursary schemes aim to ensure that no one is discouraged from attending university on financial grounds.

Chris Brink, Vice-chancellor, Newcastle University.