The dominance of Oxbridge graduates in the business world may be coming to an end. 

A study released on Monday (21/3) revealed that just four of the current 100 FTSE CEOs are Oxbridge alumni, based on data from the financial year 2020.

Though Oxbridge graduates once made up to a fifth of CEOs, according to recruitment specialists Robert Half, they now make up just four per cent.

They also found that only nine of the top companies were led by women.

The FTSE (Financial Times Stock Exchange), is the index that tracks the 100 largest public companies that trade on the London Stock Exchange.

In 2015, 24% of FTSE 100 CEOs were from Oxbridge, a proportion which shrank to 18% in 2019.

A report released in 2019 conducted by Sutton Trust and the Social Mobility Commission looked at “elite” patterns within the UK. The report revealed that the UK’s power structures are “dominated by a narrow section of the population” – the 7% who attended independent schools, and the roughly 1% who graduated from Oxbridge.

It stated: “While entrance to university is, in theory, on the basis of merit and talent, the reality is often different, due to inequalities earlier on in the system.

“Educational advantage at school level is largely replicated in higher education, with students from private schools considerably more likely to enter a top university than their state educated counterparts.”