Students have launched a mentoring scheme to help bridge the Oxbridge North / South divide.

Two A* students from Sunderland have set up a trailblazing scheme to help pupils from a similar background follow their footsteps into top universities.

Having partnered with four schools, they are now appealing for funding from graduate employers and educational trusts to turn their vision into a reality.

Grace Wilson, 19, who is studying Law at the London School of Economics, and Lennon Airey, also 19, a History undergraduate at Oxford, met at a Sunderland state school graded ‘Requires Improvement’ by Ofsted.

They were inspired to establish StateElevate because of the uphill battle they faced in trying to find affordable resources and support during their university applications.

Grace said: “When it came to my university admissions test, the LNAT, I had to research everything about it myself - book it, pay for it, buy textbooks, practice tests.”

Incredibly, more Oxford University places were given to students from China than the North East of England last year.

The lack of students from Northern state schools at universities such as Oxford, Cambridge, and LSE has come under scrutiny recently.

StateElevate aims to bridge this gap through mentoring and networking opportunities for aspiring North Eastern talent.

The non-profit organisation, launched in July, already has around fifty mentors and sixty students, covering 24 different subjects. It has partnered with 4 schools across the North East for its first year of practice.

Grace and Lennon hope that their initiative will not only increase access to top universities for students from the North East, but will also provide a network of opportunities to support participants’ careers moving forward.

Lennon said: “I’m fed up with reading about the terrible condition of state education, and the widening regional inequality in university admissions. StateElevate turns these criticisms into action, with a deliverable and ambitious plan.”

Talking about mind sets being a barrier, Grace said: “Many don’t think they have the ability to push to top unis, so don’t, and that reinforces the attitude.”

Financial hardship can also prevent students from applying to universities outside the region.

Grace, who studied for the LNAT admissions test without support, said: “Most textbooks were £20 plus and online subscriptions £60 plus. When the people you’re competing against have all these expensive resources and you don’t, it puts you off even more.”

Moving forward, StateElevate plans to set up a fund to aid mentees with admissions costs, as well as emergency costs such as broken laptops.

They are also in talks with Pembroke College, Oxford, who are considering endorsing the scheme as part of the Oxnet outreach programme.