Gap between private and state school pupils going to top universities widens

Private school pupils in England are almost twice as likely as their state school peers to go to a more selective university, Government figures show.

The gap between pupils in private and state schools progressing to a “high tariff” institution – universities with higher entry requirements – has widened, according to the latest Department for Education (DfE) data.

A social mobility expert called the figures a “national scandal” and warned that the idea that anyone can study for a degree is becoming “a distant dream”.

The figures show private school A-level pupils had a 67.8% progression rate to a more selective university by the age of 19 in 2022/23, compared to their peers in state schools who had a 34.2% progression rate.

The gap between independent and state school pupils in England – 33.6 percentage points – is the widest it has been since 2017/18.

Data from the DfE on Thursday also revealed that the gap between poorer students and their more affluent peers attending university widened to the highest level recorded in 2022/23.

In England, 29.0% of state school pupils who received free school meals (FSM) at the age of 15 went to university in 2022/23 – down from 29.2% in 2021/22.

The DfE said it is the first time the progression rate for FSM pupils has decreased since its widening participation data series began in 2005/6.

Meanwhile, nearly half (49.8%) of pupils who did not receive meals progressed to university in 2022/23.

The gap between these two groups attending university – 20.8 percentage points – is the largest in the data series, the DfE said.

The gap between disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged students entering more selective universities also widened to the highest level on record.

Overall, 6.1% of FSM pupils progressed to high tariff institutions, including those in the Russell Group, by the age of 19 in 2022/23, compared with 16.8% of those not eligible for FSMs.

The pandemic led to an increase in top grades in 2020 and 2021 after summer exams were cancelled and results were based on teacher assessments.

The DfE said on Thursday that Covid-19 led to more students being accepted to higher education – and in particular to high tariff institutions – which “may explain the increased progression rates” in recent years.

Exams returned in 2022 and grading was restored to pre-pandemic levels in England a year later.

Lee Elliot Major, professor of social mobility at the University of Exeter, said we are “sliding backwards” as a society in the post-pandemic era.

He told the PA news agency: “The growing gulf in elite university admissions is deeply worrying, given that a degree remains a lifeline for so many to better careers and futures.

“It’s a national scandal that private school A-level students are now twice as likely to enter elite universities compared to their state school peers — the largest gap we’ve seen in years.

“Record-level participation gaps between free school meal pupils and their more privileged peers are nothing short of a societal failure.

“The cherished principle that anyone, regardless of their background, can study for a degree is becoming a distant dream.

“These statistics don’t lie: talent is everywhere, but opportunity is not. We are in danger of failing a whole generation.”

The latest DfE analysis also reveals regional differences across England in the likelihood of going to university.

More than half (51.3%) of FSM pupils in inner London progressed to university by the age of 19 in 2022/23, compared with around a fifth in the South West (18.8%), the East Midlands (21.7%) and the South East (21.7%).

The figures also showed that the proportion of black pupils progressing to university by the age of 19 fell from 63.5% in 2021/22 to 62.4% in 2022/23.

Nick Harrison, chief executive of the Sutton Trust charity, said: “It’s concerning to see disadvantaged young people falling further behind in access to higher education.

“The pandemic had a profound impact on all young people’s schooling, but hit those in disadvantaged families particularly hard, at the same time as increasing financial pressures for low-income households.

“We saw a big jump in higher education attendance over this time, but the increase was mostly among students from more advantaged backgrounds.

“There is some evidence that universities tried to protect admissions from less advantaged young people, but at the time they lacked access to data about applicants’ free school meals eligibility, and therefore couldn’t effectively prioritise the poorest pupils in their admissions policies.”

Robbie Cruikshanks, senior researcher at the Education Policy Institute (EPI) think tank, said: “Despite some progress in widening participation for disadvantaged students in recent years, today’s data shows worrying signs that that this progress has stalled, and might even be going in reverse.

“The Government must continue efforts to narrow this participation gap with an ongoing aim to address the financial burden of higher education faced by disadvantaged students.

“The Government must also ensure that there are accessible and high-quality post-18 pathways offered to the majority of students who do not progress to higher education.”

A spokesperson for the Russell Group said: “Our universities are committed to increasing opportunities for disadvantaged students, and progress is being made – the number of students eligible for free school meals progressing to a high-tariff university reached a record high in 2022/23, and the number of young students from the most under-represented areas studying at Russell Group universities has grown 35% since 2019.

“However, as today’s new data shows, there are still many challenges. The sector needs to continue to be ambitious in ensuring that talented students from all backgrounds have the opportunity to access high-quality higher education. Our universities have committed to doing so and have put bold access and participation strategies in place to make progress.”