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Inequalities in Higher Education revealed

Young people from well off backgrounds are six times more likely than their poorer counterparts to enter higher education.

The ‘Young Participation in Higher Education,’ report from HEFCE (Higher Education Funding Council for England) demonstrates that the higher education divide between advantaged and disadvantaged children is deep and persistent.

This educational divide has changed little during the period of the study (1994 – 2000) and the local participation maps released with the report show that inequalities in young participation are found throughout Britain.

Participation ranged from 69% in Kensington and Chelsea, 65% in the City of London and Westminster and 62% in Sheffield Hallam, down to 10% in Bristol South and Leeds Central and 8% in Nottingham North and Sheffield Brightside.
Tuition fees and student loans had made no major difference, the report said.

Sir Howard Newby, Chief Executive of HEFCE, said: 'This report highlights just how entrenched the divisions are between advantaged and disadvantaged areas. It reveals the extent of the challenge facing society and the whole educational system if we are to make real inroads in improving participation rates for young people from poorer backgrounds so that a greater proportion can benefit from higher education.

'While the report reveals stark inequalities, there are some encouraging findings. The introduction of tuition fees and the replacement of student grants by loans do not appear to have affected the choices of young people from different backgrounds, even for young people living in the poorest areas. And for those who do make it into higher education from disadvantaged backgrounds, the overwhelming majority complete their courses and are even slightly more likely to go onto postgraduate study than other entrants.'

Women were 18% more likely than men to enter higher education in 2000 - up from 6% in 1994. In the poorest areas, the gap was 30% in women's favour and growing faster than anywhere else.

The month of the year in which children were born appeared important. In England, someone born in September was 20% more likely to enter higher education 18 years later than a child born in August.

But the most telling factor of all is where you were born.

Young people living in London are now 50 per cent more likely to go to university than those living in the North East. But using areas such as parliamentary constituencies shows that simple regional summaries can be misleading.

The south of England has some constituencies - such as Bristol South - where only one in 10 go to university, and the north of England has constituencies - such as Sheffield Hallam - where nearly two out of three young people enter higher education.

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