Students applying to the University of Huddersfield will have their names blanked out to guard against potential bias or stereotyping.
The university is one of the first four in the country to test new “name-blind” applications, introduced to prevent assumptions being made about students based on their names.
The pilot scheme is being run this year with officials at Huddersfield having put themselves forward to take part.
The other three universities trialling the method are Exeter, Liverpool and Winchester.
The Government says name-blind admissions will mean students are offered places based purely on merit.
Staff will not know anything about the gender, race or faith of students applying.
The University of Huddersfield’s deputy vice-chancellor Prof Tim Thornton said the university was already confident in the fairness of its admissions process.
He said: “We have one of the most open cultures in UK higher education. Our participation in the name-blind trial builds on existing practice at the university which has been developed over many years, and reflects our determination to be at the cutting-edge when it comes to fair and effective admissions policies.”
The idea for name-blind admissions was put forward last year by then Prime Minister David Cameron, who said many companies already use the scheme to prevent positive and negative discrimination.
