Official Statistics

Widening participation in higher education: 2023

Annual statistics on young people's participation in higher education, including their background characteristics.

Applies to England

Documents

Widening participation in higher education: 2023

Details

Statistics providing information on measures of widening participation in higher education.

These include estimates of state-funded pupils’ progression to higher education (HE) by age 19 according to their personal characteristics at age 15, including:

  • eligibility for free school meals (FSM)
  • disadvantage
  • gender
  • ethnicity
  • special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) status
  • first language
  • children in need
  • looked after children

The publication also includes the following:

  • geographic breakdowns to enable comparisons of HE progression rates between local authorities and regions
  • estimated percentages of A-level and equivalent students at age 17, by school or college type, who progressed to HE by age 19
  • progression by POLAR disadvantage
  • breakdowns for high tariff HE providers
  • a note on the impact from COVID-19 on the statistics
Published 13 July 2023