Staff profile

Member of the Higher Education and Social Inequality (HESI) research group

Member of the Durham University Evidence Centre for Education (DECE)

Member of the Centre for Global Higher Education (CGHE)

Welcome video

Click here to play Vikki's welcome video for 2021-22

Vikki joined the Department of Sociology at Durham in September 2011. Before coming to Durham, Vikki studied Sociology at Leicester University (BA), Cambridge University (MPhil) and Oxford University (DPhil) and was a Departmental Lecturer in Sociology at Oxford, a Nuffield Foundation Postdoctoral Research Fellow and Visiting Lecturer at Harvard, a British Academy Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Oxford, and a Sociology Lecturer at Bath Spa.

At Durham Vikki co-teaches the second year undergraduate module, Sociology of Education, and the masters level module, Education an Social Inequality. Vikki is Programme Director for the MA in Social Research Methods and co-convenor of the university-wide First Generation Scholars Network.

Vikki’s research focuses on social inequalities of access to the most prestigious universities. She is a leading expert on the use of contextual data on the socioeconomic circumstances of prospective university students to inform more equitable admissions decisions. You can read about this work here and here.

Vikki welcomes enquiries about supervision from students who want to write an undergraduate, masters or doctoral dissertation on something to do with education and its relationship to social stratification and inequality.

• Educational inequalities, especially social class and ethnic inequalities of access to higher status universities
• Social stratification and mobility, in particular patterns and processes of social mobility across multiple generations of family members
• Quantitative research methods
• Applied and policy-relevant research

• 2000: British Journal of Sociology of Education editorial board member:
• 2000: Editorial Board member of Higher Education Policy:
• 2000: BSA Sociology journal editorial board member:

Book review

• Boliver, V. (2017). Book review : Natasha K Warikoo, 'The diversity bargain : and other dilemmas of race, admissions, and meritocracy at elite universities'. Sociology, 52(4), 862-864. https://doi.org/10.1177/0038038517692926

Chapter in book

• Boliver, V., Gorard, S., & Siddiqui, N. (in press). A more radical approach to contextualised admissions. In Where Next for Widening Participation and Fair Access? New Insights from Leading Thinkers. In Where next for widening participation and fair access? (23-28). Oxford: HEPI/Brightside
• Boliver, V., & Gorard, S. (2020). The use of evidence from research on contextualised admissions to widen access to Scottish universities. In S. Gorard (Ed.), Getting evidence into education : evaluating the routes to policy and practice (166-177). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429290343-12
• Boliver, V. (2018). Ethnic Inequalities in Admission to Highly Selective Universities. In J. Arday, & H. Safia-Mirza (Eds.), Dismantling race in higher education : racism, whiteness and decolonising the academy (67-85). Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-60261-5_4
• Dilnot, C., & Boliver, V. (2018). Admission to medicine and law at Russell Group universities: the impact of A-level subject choice. In P. Burke, A. Hayton, & J. Stevenson (Eds.), Evaluating equity and widening participation in higher education (59-87). Trentham Books (UCL IOE Press)
• Boliver, V., & Sullivan, A. (2018). Getting up and staying up: understanding social mobility over three generations in Britain. In S. Lawler, & G. Payne (Eds.), Social mobility for the 21st century : everyone a winner? (54-66). Routledge
• Gorard, S., Boliver, V., & Siddiqui, N. (2018). How can contextualised admissions widen participation?. In M. Shah, & J. McKay (Eds.), Achieving Equity and Quality in Higher Education (307-326). Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-78316-1
• Boliver, V. (2017). How meritocratic is admission to highly selective UK universities?. In R. Waller, N. Ingram, & R. Ward (Eds.), Higher education and social inequalities : university admissions, experiences, and outcomes (37-53). Routledge
• Boliver, V., Gorard, S., & Siddiqui, N. (2017). How can we widen participation in higher education? The promise of contextualised admissions. In R. Deem, & H. Eggins (Eds.), The university as a critical institution? (95-110). Sense Publishers. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-6351-116-2_6
• Boliver, V., & Wakeling, P. (2017). Social mobility and higher education. In J. Shin, & P. Teixeira (Eds.), Encyclopaedia of international higher education systems and institutions (1-6). Springer Verlag. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-9553-1_43-1
• Waters, M., Heath, A., Tran, V., & Boliver, V. (2013). Second generation attainment and inequality: primary and secondary effects on educational outcomes in Britain and the US. In R. Alba, & J. Holdaway (Eds.), The Children of Immigrants at School: A Comparative Look at Integration in the United States and Western Europe. New York University Press

Journal Article

• Capsada‐Munsech, Q., & Boliver, V. (2023). Does grammar school attendance increase the likelihood of attending a prestigious UK university?. British Educational Research Journal, https://doi.org/10.1002/berj.3929
• Boliver, V., & Powell, M. (2023). Rethinking merit? The development of more progressive approaches to university admissions in England. Widening Participation and Lifelong Learning, 24(3), 33-55. https://doi.org/10.5456/wpll.24.3.33
• Schindler, S., Bar-Haim, E., Barone, C., Fels Birkelund, J., Boliver, V., Capsada-Munsech, Q., …Vallet, L. (2023). Educational tracking and social inequalities in long-term labor market outcomes: Six countries in comparison. International Journal of Comparative Sociology, https://doi.org/10.1177/00207152231151390
• Boliver, V., & Powell, M. (2023). Competing conceptions of fair admission and their implications for supporting students to fulfil their potential at university. Perspectives: Policy and Practice in Higher Education, 27(1), 8-15. https://doi.org/10.1080/13603108.2022.2063429
• Hunt, S. A., & Boliver, V. (2023). The private higher education provider landscape in the UK. Studies in Higher Education, 48(9), 1346-1360. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2023.2199317
• Boliver, V., Banerjee, P., Gorard, S., & Powell, M. (2022). Reconceptualising fair access to highly academically selective universities, Higher Education. Higher Education, 84(1), 85-100. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-021-00755-y
• Boliver, V., Gorard, S., & Siddiqui, N. (2022). Who counts as socioeconomically disadvantaged for the purposes of widening access to higher education?. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 43(3), 349-374. https://doi.org/10.1080/01425692.2021.2017852
• Arday, J., Branchu, C., & Boliver, V. (2022). What do we know about Black and minority ethnic (BME) participation in UK higher education. Social Policy and Society, 21(1), 12-25. https://doi.org/10.1017/s1474746421000579
• Boliver, V., & Capsada-Munsech, Q. (2021). Does ability grouping affect UK primary school pupils’ enjoyment of Maths and English?. Research in Social Stratification and Mobility, 76, Article 100629. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rssm.2021.100629
• Birkelund, J., Capsada-Munsech, Q., Boliver, V., & Karlson, K. (2021). Lives on track? Long-term earnings returns to selective school placement in England and Denmark. British Journal of Sociology, 72(3), 672-692. https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-4446.12856
• Hindle, C., McEwan, C., Boliver, V., Maclarnon, A., Simpson, B., & Brown, H. (2021). Experiences of first-generation scholars at a highly selective UK university. Learning and Teaching, 14(2), 1-31. https://doi.org/10.3167/latiss.2021.140202
• Hunt, S. A., & Boliver, V. (2021). Private providers and market exit in UK higher education. Higher Education, 81, 385-401. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-020-00546-x
• Capsada-Munsech, Q., & Boliver, V. (2021). The early labour-market returns to upper secondary qualifications track in England. Longitudinal and Life Course Studies, https://doi.org/10.1332/175795921x16119468619598
• Boliver, V., Gorard, S., & Siddiqui, N. (2021). Using contextual data to widen access to higher education. Perspectives: Policy and Practice in Higher Education, 25(1), 7-13. https://doi.org/10.1080/13603108.2019.1678076
• Boliver, V., Gorard, S., Powell, M., & Moreira, T. (2020). The use of access thresholds to widen participation at Scottish universities. Scottish Affairs, 29(1), 82-97. https://doi.org/10.3366/scot.2020.0307
• Siddiqui, N., Gorard, S., & See, B. (2019). Can learning beyond the classroom impact on social responsibility and academic attainment? An evaluation of the Children’s University youth social action programme. Studies in Educational Evaluation, 61, 74-82. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.stueduc.2019.03.004
• Siddiqui, N., Boliver, V., & Gorard, S. (2019). Reliability of Longitudinal Social Surveys of Access to Higher Education: The Case of Next Steps in England. Social Inclusion, 7(1), 80-89. https://doi.org/10.17645/si.v7i1.1631
• Mateos-González, J., & Boliver, V. (2019). Performance-based university funding and the drive towards ‘institutional meritocracy’ in Italy. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 40(2), 145-158. https://doi.org/10.1080/01425692.2018.1497947
• Gorard, S., Boliver, V., Siddiqui, N., & Banerjee, P. (2019). Which are the most suitable contextual indicators for use in widening participation to HE?. Research Papers in Education, 34(1), 99-129. https://doi.org/10.1080/02671522.2017.1402083
• Gorard, S., Siddiqui, N., See, B., Boliver, V., & Wardle, L. (2019). Let's make education fairer. Research intelligence, Autumn 2019(140), 12-13
• Boliver, V., Gorard, S., & Siddiqui, N. (2019). Using contextualised admissions to widen access to higher education: a guide to the evidence base
• Boliver, V., Powell, M., & Moreira, T. (2018). Organisational Identity as a Barrier to Widening Access in Scottish Universities. Social Sciences, 7(9), Article 151. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci7090151
• Lessard-Phillips, L., Boliver, V., Pampaka, M., & Swain, D. (2018). Exploring ethnic differences in the post-university destinations of Russell Group graduates. Ethnicities, 18(4), 496-517. https://doi.org/10.1177/1468796818777543
• Gorard, S., Siddiqui, N., & Boliver, V. (2017). An Analysis of School-Based Contextual Indicators for Possible Use in Widening Participation. Higher Education Studies, 7(2), Article 79. https://doi.org/10.5539/hes.v7n2p79
• Boliver, V. (2017). Misplaced optimism: how higher education reproduces rather than reduces social inequality. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 38(3), 423-432. https://doi.org/10.1080/01425692.2017.1281648
• Boliver, V. (2016). Exploring ethnic inequalities in admission to Russell Group universities. Sociology, 50(2), 247-266. https://doi.org/10.1177/0038038515575859
• Boliver, V. (2016). Critically evaluating the Effectively Maintained Inequality hypothesis. British journal of education, society & behavioural science, 15(2), 1-9. https://doi.org/10.9734/bjesbs/2016/24563
• Boliver, V., Gorard, S., & Siddiqui, N. (2015). Will the Use of Contextual Indicators Make UK Higher Education Admissions Fairer?. Education Sciences, 5(4), 306-322. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci5040306
• Boliver, V. (2015). Are there distinctive clusters of higher and lower status universities in the UK?. Oxford Review of Education, 41(5), 608-627. https://doi.org/10.1080/03054985.2015.1082905
• Boliver, V. (2015). Why are British Ethnic Minorities Less Likely to be Offered Places at Highly Selective Universities? in Alexander, C. and Arday, J. (eds) Aiming Higher: Race, Inequality and Diversity in the Academy
• Boliver, V. (2015). Lies, damned lies, and statistics on widening access to Russell Group universities. Radical statistics, 113, 29-38
• Chan, T., & Boliver, V. (2014). Social Mobility Over Three Generations in Finland: A Critique. European Sociological Review, 30(1), 13-17. https://doi.org/10.1093/esr/jct012
• Chan, T. W., & Boliver, V. (2013). The grandparents effect in social mobility: evidence from British birth cohort studies. American Sociological Review, 78(4), 662-678. https://doi.org/10.1177/0003122413489130
• Boliver, V. (2013). How fair is access to more prestigious UK Universities?. British Journal of Sociology, 64(2), 344-364. https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-4446.12021
• Heath, A., Sullivan, A., Boliver, V., & Zimdars, A. (2013). Education Under New Labour, 1997-2010. Oxford Review of Economic Policy, 29(1), 227-247. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxrep/grt003
• Boliver, V., & Byrne, D. (2013). Social mobility: the politics, the reality, the alternative. Soundings, Winter 2013(55),
• Boliver, V., & Swift, A. (2012). Schools and social mobility. Sociological Review, 22(2),
• Boliver, V., & Swift, A. (2011). Do comprehensive schools reduce social mobility?. British Journal of Sociology, 62(1), 89-110. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-4446.2010.01346.x
• Boliver, V., & Swift, A. (2011). Comprehensive schools and social mobility
• Boliver, V. (2010). Expansion, differentiation, and the persistence of social class inequalities in British higher education. Higher Education, 61(3), 229-242. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-010-9374-y

Newspaper/Magazine Article

• Boliver, V. (2014). Why do elite universities admit so few ethnic minority applicants?

Other (Digital/Visual Media)

• Boliver, V., & Gorard, S. (in press). Should students from state schools be given priority access to university?. [[Media unknown]]
• Boliver, V. (in press). Fewer top university offers go to black and Asian students, but UCAS research doesn’t explain why. [[Media unknown]]
• Gorard, S., Boliver, V., & Siddiqui, N. (2019). Fair access means admitting more applicants with lower grades. [Blog]
• Boliver, V. (2015). Universities must aim higher on ethnic equality and diversity. [[Media unknown]]
• Boliver, V. (2015). University admissions data must be made available to academic researchers. [[Media unknown]]
• Boliver, V., & David, M. (2015). Funneling funds to elite universities won’t guarantee world ranking success. [[Media unknown]]
• Boliver, V. (2015). Universities must act collectively to remedy lower offer rates for ethnic minority applicants. [[Media unknown]]
• Boliver, V. (2015). Are top universities biased against ethnic minority students?. [[Media unknown]]
• Parel, K., & Boliver, V. (2014). Ethnicity trumps school background as a predictor of admission to elite UK universities. [[Media unknown]]
• Boliver, V. (2014). Hard Evidence: why aren’t there more black British students at elite universities?. [[Media unknown]]
• Boliver, V. (2013). Access to Britain’s top universities is far from fair. [[Media unknown]]

Report

• Boliver, V., Crawford, C., Powell, M., & Craige, W. (2017). Admissions in Context: The use of contextual information by leading universities. [No known commissioning body]
• Boliver, V., Gorard, S., Powell, M., & Moreira, T. (2017). Mapping and evaluating the use of contextual data in undergraduate admissions in Scotland. [No known commissioning body]

Working Paper

• Siddiqui, N., Gorard, S., & Boliver, V. (2023). Evaluation of Supported Progression (SP) schemes offered by Durham University
• Hunt, S., & Boliver, V. (2019). Private providers of higher education in the UK: mapping the terrain
• Gorard, S., Boliver, V., Siddiqui, N., Banerjee, P., & Morris, R. (2017). Which are the most suitable contextual indicators for use in widening participation to HE?
• Chan, T., & Boliver, V. (2011). Social mobility over three generations in Britain
• Boliver, V. (2010). Maximally maintained inequality and effectively maintained inequality in education: operationalizing the expansion-inequality relationship
• Boliver, V. (2006). Social inequalities of access to higher status universities in the UK: the role of university admissions decisions
• Boliver, V. (2004). Widening participation and fair access at the University of Oxford