Universities have been making lower offers to disadvantaged students “under the radar” to avoid a backlash from middle class students, a report has said.

Higher education institutions have been quietly using so-called “contextual offers” as part of their admissions system in order to escape “negative reactions”, according to a research paper by the Higher Education Policy Institute (Hepi).

Many top universities, including Oxford and Cambridge, use contextual data to “flag” applicants who are from disadvantaged backgrounds.

This could include students who have been in care, who are from a deprived area or who have been to a poorly performing school.

A survey of 1,035 undergraduates, conducted by Hepi and YouthSight, found that 45 per cent oppose the use of contextual offers.

Students at the most selective Russell Group universities were more likely to support lower grade offers, with 36 per cent saying they were against them.

Over a quarter (29 per cent) of those polled felt that making lower offers to their peers from deprived backgrounds would make it harder for “students like me” to get into university.

Meanwhile, 39 per cent said that students admitted with lower grades would not be able to keep up academically with the course requirements.