The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Glenrothes bottom of table for university applicants accepted
Report by Ucas shows only 16% of applicants from the Glenrothes constituency area were given a place at their chosen university
Young people from Glenrothes are less likely to be accepted to university than those from anywhere else in the UK, new figures have suggested.
According to a report by the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (Ucas), only 16% of applicants from the Glenrothes constituency area were given a place.
The area was one of only two in Scotland, alongside Glasgow North East, to appear in the UK’s bottom 10.
Prospective students from Dundee East, Dundee West and Dunfermline and West Fife constituencies fared little better in the report, with just 20% from each accepted to the universities of their choice.
At the other end of the spectrum, 62% of people from the wealthy Wimbledon constituency were accepted into university.
No Scottish constituencies featured in the top 10 areas with the highest entry rates.
Ucas, which operates the application process for British universities, made it clear in its report – published yesterday – that the figures do not include applications for entry to further education colleges in Scotland, which is where a third of young entrants study.
This means many more young people could be undertaking higher education than the data suggests.
Glenrothes MP Peter Grant said this would appear to be the case in his constituency, which also includes Levenmouth.
He pointed out that the figures also exclude anyone who left school after S5 and went to university aged 17, almost unheard of in England but still an option in Scotland.
The SNP MP said he was still looking at the report in detail, but added: “They don’t reflect the discussions I have with schools in my constituency which are seeing the benefits of Scottish Government drives to improve access to higher education for young people from poorer families.
“The Ucas figures certainly don’t recognise the fact that in 2015/16, the most recent published results show that all three high schools in Glenrothes saw over 90% of their school leavers moving on to a positive destination after school.”