Durham University, located in Durham, England, is facing accusations of 'anti-white discrimination' due to its new Asian Access programme, which lowers entry requirements for British Asian students in popular subjects like psychology and law. The initiative offers guaranteed alternative offers that are typically two grades lower for state school pupils of Asian heritage who participate in a free summer school. Critics, including Reform MP Robert Jenrick, argue that this scheme is unnecessary, as Asian students already have higher university acceptance rates—51.4% of Asian state school pupils were accepted into higher education in 2024, compared to just 29.8% of white students. Jenrick called for a return to merit-based admissions, criticizing the perceived social engineering in university admissions. In response, a Durham University spokesperson stated that the programme aims to support students from underrepresented backgrounds and that their admissions decisions are fair and based on published criteria. This controversy reflects a broader trend among top universities, including Oxford and Bristol, which have also faced backlash for offering lower entry requirements to non-white candidates.