‘DON’T be a snob!”

Remarkably, this was the formal advice given by the University of Edinburgh to its students this week, after ­conceding that some of its students are being ­“inadvertently or deliberately shamed by more privileged students” based on their backgrounds, ­accents, and schooling.

A worse advert for the institution, it is difficult to conceive. Every higher ­education institution in this country has a widening access strategy.

But how can you meaningfully widen access to the educational ­opportunities you offer, when the next ­generation of potential students are being told they should brace themselves for scorn, snobbery and abuse from some of the swaggering little pukes who’re already there?

Earlier this year, some Edinburgh ­students established the Scottish ­Social Mobility Society. They’re promoting an admirably grown-up and positive ­message. Through events, workshops, and ­campaigns, they aim to “educate and raise awareness about the importance of social mobility and ­diversity, shedding light on the unique challenges faced by Scottish ­students and particularly those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds” studying at the institution.

They’ve already logged 200 examples of the social prejudices students sometimes encounter from their peers and even some university staff, suggesting that snobbery is not only alive and well, but is in some ­circles the last acceptable prejudice.

'Microaggressions'

The university includes some well-intentioned advice for its more ­privileged ­undergrads on avoiding class-based ­“microaggressions,” including “when you meet new people be curious about their interests and aspirations rather than their background,” “don’t assume that everyone’s life or family is like yours” and encourages them to “try to undo some of the unhelpful mythology about the relationship of wealth to intelligence or hard work” rather than doubling down on self-serving social stereotypes.

At Edinburgh, only 26% of the student body is Scottish. The others come from the rest of the UK and at postgraduate level, overwhelmingly from overseas.

Edinburgh sits around the middle of the pack in terms of the percentage of its Scottish students from the most impoverished........

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