One in three undergraduate students enter university for the first-time when they are over 21--not that one would notice given the obsession of both media and politicians with younger students progressing to university straight from school or college at 18 or 19. This focus on younger students has been put into even sharper relief in the debate about the next Director of the Office for Fair Access (OFFA)--now confirmed by ministers as Professor Les Ebdon. For those interested in ensuring that people of all ages have opportunities for learning and progression, this emphasis on younger students is depressing. It also completely ignores the diversity of the student profile that is one of the features of UK higher education and which has been a key factor in promoting social mobility. The author concludes that for those who really care about social mobility, it is the decline in applications by mature students, and not the appointment of Les Ebdon as Director of OFFA, that should be setting alarm bells ringing.