Nine in 10 uni students educated at state schools

TWO in five universities have seen a drop in the proportion of students from state schools, new figures show.

Official statistics indicate significant differences between universities in the proportion of state-educated young people they admitted in 2016/17.

The data also shows that just over a third of the UK’s top institutions have seen a fall in the numbers of students from the state sector.

The figures come amid a continued push by government and the higher education sector to widen participation, encouraging students from all backgrounds to study for a degree.

Overall, nine out of 10 new UK university students in 2016/17 were educated at state schools.

But analysis of the data, published by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (Hesa), shows variations by university.

At some institutions, all UK students who started full-time undergraduate courses in the autumn of 2016 were from state schools, while at others, around half of students were from the state sector.

The data, which covers fulltime UK undergraduates, also shows that just over one in 10 (11%) came from disadvantaged neighbourhoods – those areas that traditionally see fewer people going on to higher education.

Overall, the proportion of students from state schools has risen over the past two decades to 90% in 2016/17.

In England, the University of Bolton had the highest proportion of state-educated new students at 99.6%. At the other end of the scale, the Royal Academy of Music had the smallest proportion of state-educated students at 44.1%.