Exclusive: Oxford University Delays Publishing Diversity Data Because Of 'World Events'

The University of Oxford has delayed publishing admissions data on the diversity of its students in light of “world events”, HuffPost UK can reveal.

Staff members were notified about the change in an internal email circulated on Wednesday afternoon.

In the message, seen by HuffPost UK, university heads said they “feel strongly that this is not the right time to share our data”.

The data each year reveal how diverse the student intake is by ethnicity, age, gender, disability, economic background, what type of school they attended, and where in the UK or abroad they live.

“After careful consideration of the current world events and also learning that Cambridge will not be publishing its admissions data until late June, the decision to postpone the release of the annual admissions statistical report has been taken,” the email states.

“The delay also allows us more time to work on announcing our commitment to outreach through our digital outreach programmes, which are being delivered despite the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and particularly the closure of schools since March 2020.”

At least 15,000 people gathered at Hyde Park in central London on Wednesday in a Black Lives Matter demonstration sparked by the brutal police killing of George Floyd in the US last week.

Since then, anti-racism rallies have been held in cities around the world, from Paris to Nairobi.

More protests are slated to take place in the capital across the coming days including one outside of the US embassy on Saturday.

Responding to “world events” and growing social unrest, Oxford University tweeted on Tuesday: “We’re committed to supporting our community in opposing racism in all its forms, including upholding anti-racist values.”

In 2019, Oxford announced that more than 22% of undergraduate students...

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