Record portion of state school pupils gained entry to Oxford University last year

A record proportion of pupils from state schools and deprived areas gained entry to Oxford University last year, figures showed yesterday.

Almost seven in ten – 68.6 per cent – were state-educated compared to 62.3 per cent the previous year.

It means under a third are now from private schools – which only 7 per cent of the population attend.

The proportion coming from the poorest areas of the UK increased to 15.9 per cent – up from 12.2 per cent.

68.6 per cent of those wh0 gained access to Oxford were state-educated compared to 62.3 per cent the previous year

The university, which has more than 24,000 students in total, including 12,000 undergraduates, has said it will reserve 10 per cent of its places from 2023 for the very poorest. It had faced intense political pressure over the issue.

A total of 3,695 students were admitted to Oxford last autumn – 400 more than usual. Nearly half – 48.3 per cent – of UK students who gained entry between 2018 and 2020 came from the South East. Only 15.1 per cent were from the North.

Dr Samina Khan, director of undergraduate admissions and outreach, said: ‘The pandemic will continue to hit the least advantaged students for a while, hence we remain resolute in stamping out inequality in access to Oxford.

‘Working together with schools across the country, we are increasing our focus on reaching regional “cold-spots” where the most talented young people are still under-represented at Oxford – driving down the risk that we are missing out on some of the UK’s brightest students.’

The report also highlights figures, first released in February, showing that 23.6 per cent of undergraduates admitted were from ethnic minority backgrounds – a record high.

The proportion of students who were black was 3.7 per cent last year, up from 3.2 per cent.

However, the number of black students on some individual courses remains low.

Between 2018 and 2020, there were five or fewer UK-based black students on 13 of Oxford’s largest courses, the figures show.

Masked students in a socially-distanced class at Oxford University where a record portion come from state schools

Masked students in a socially-distanced class at Oxford University where a record portion come from state schools

Over the three years, there was one UK black student admitted to biology, one for geography, three for physics and four for history and politics.

In a foreword to the report, vice chancellor Professor Louise Richardson said: ‘While the pandemic has, in many ways, changed the way we operate, it has not weakened our commitment to diversifying the make-up of our student body.

‘We remain committed to ensuring that every talented, academically driven pupil in the country, wherever they come from, sees Oxford as a place for them.’

Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), said: ‘We are very pleased to see the progress.

‘However, there is clearly still more work to be done, and it is very worrying to see the under-representation of students from the north of England.’

The Office for Students (OfS) regulator has asked Oxford to set ambitious targets for admitting disadvantaged pupils following intense pressure from politicians.

In 2017, Labour MP David Lammy led a campaign to make the university ‘address its lack of diversity’.

In recent years, an increasing number of private school pupils have opted for top US universities instead of Oxbridge, with experts saying it may be because they fear rejection in the new diversity drive.

Chris Millward, director for fair access and participation at the OfS said: ‘The University of Oxford, like all other universities registered with the OfS, has agreed ambitious targets with us to improve access and participation for disadvantaged students within the next five years.

‘We are monitoring closely each university’s progress towards these targets, including those relating to neighbourhoods with the fewest students entering higher education, which we know are concentrated in coastal areas, former industrial towns and parts of cities across the country.’