Jeevan Vasagar

The dramatic expansion of university education over the past decade – from about 39% of young people entering higher education to 45% now – has been accompanied by a rise in participation from the poorest in society.

It is one of the big success stories of education in England. As a report by the government's Office for Fair Access found last year, the growth in university attendance by the least privileged has been greater than the increase from wealthier homes.

But applications and entries to the most selective universities have been less diverse. Among the top third of universities, participation by the poorest 40% has been static since the mid-1990s.

The government's proposal to allow the wealthiest British students to be treated as if they were overseas undergraduates offers a radical solution to the participation problem.

The idea was floated by a university vice-chancellor in 2010, who suggested it would increase social mobility. Ruth Farwell, of Buckinghamshire New University, argued that students who could afford to pay more were taking up limited publicly funded places, squeezing out those most in need. She told the Times Higher Education magazine, "even if you're swimming in money, you cannot buy a place in a publicly funded institution as a private individual".

However, the intensity of the debate will make it hard to win converts.

The government already faces accusations that the £9,000 tuition fee will deter poorer students – even if accompanied by generous bursaries or fee waivers.

Winning the argument that this new measure will widen access, rather than simply providing another route into elite institutions for the well-off, will be a steep challenge.