State schools' student share fall

Scottish universities saw the largest drop in state school pupils

The proportion of UK university students from state schools has fallen, the latest official figures show.

The percentage of young entrants to full-time first degree courses in 2003 who had attended state schools was 86.8%, down from 87.2% the year before.

The biggest change was in Scotland, down from 87.5% to 85.9%.

Meanwhile, the first large-scale official survey of what graduating students thought of their courses showed overwhelmingly positive views.

The survey forms part of a new Teaching Quality Information website for those contemplating higher education.

Benchmarks

The drop in state school participation was accompanied by a small rise in the proportion of students from lower socio-economic groups, up from 28.4% to 28.6%.

That was largely in England - with the proportions falling at universities in Scotland and Wales.

Among individual institutions, state school participation ranged from 100% to 47.1%.

Universities and colleges in Northern Ireland had the highest rates.

The lowest, all below 60%, included Oxford and Cambridge, and UCL and Imperial College in London.

Last year there was a row over the participation "benchmarks" - officially not "targets" - which institutions are supposed to aim for.

Some places argued that the way these were calculated meant they were unattainable.

The methodology has been reviewed but is not being changed for now.

The Independent Schools Council said the statistics substantiated research it had published last month showing that claims of discrimination by universities against independent sector applicants were founded on myth.

General Secretary Jonathan Shephard again criticised the way the benchmarks were calculated as "absurd".

The table below shows the proportion of state school pupils admitted by each institution in 2003, the benchmark for that institution and the percentage difference. A "+" or "-" symbol in the final column indicates that the difference is statistically significantly above or below the benchmark.

Institution	state %	benchmark %	+/-	sig
Total UK	86.8
Royal Academy of Music	48.4	89	-40.6	-
Royal College of Music	54.5	91.4	-36.9	-
Royal Agricultural College	54.5	87.8	-33.3	-
Courtauld Institute of Art	47.1	74.7	-27.6	-
University of Oxford	53.8	75.2	-21.4	-
University College London	59.3	78.2	-18.9	-
University of Cambridge	56.9	75.3	-18.4	-
Imperial College of Science, Technology & Medicine	59.6	77.3	-17.7	-
University of Durham	63.8	78.9	-15.1	-
Oxford Brookes University	72.8	87.8	-15	-
University of Edinburgh	65.3	79.8	-14.5	-
London School of Economics and Political Science	64.3	78.2	-13.9	-
University of St Andrews	65.1	77.9	-12.8	-
University of Bristol	65.2	77.7	-12.5	-
University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne	68.6	80.3	-11.7	-
King's College London	67.3	78.6	-11.3	-
University of Nottingham	67.4	78.7	-11.3	-
School of Oriental and African Studies	71	81.8	-10.8	-
University of Exeter	71.2	81.8	-10.6	-
Central School of Speech and Drama	84.3	92.4	-8.1
St George's Hospital Medical School	70	76.4	-6.4
Royal Holloway and Bedford New College	77.6	83.3	-5.7	-
University of Leeds	76.3	81.8	-5.5	-
School of Pharmacy	81.5	87	-5.5
University of Bath	76.6	82	-5.4	-
Glasgow School of Art	80.6	85.3	-4.7
Rose Bruford College	87.4	92.1	-4.7
City University	85.2	89.4	-4.2	-
Conservatoire for Dance and Drama	90	94	-4
University of Warwick	76.5	79.2	-2.7
Royal Veterinary College	66.5	68.9	-2.4
University of the West of England, Bristol	87.2	89.6	-2.4
University of Southampton	80	82.3	-2.3
University of Reading	81.8	83.9	-2.1
Bath Spa University College	92.1	93.9	-1.8
University of Manchester	79.6	80.9	-1.3
Falmouth College of Arts	93.3	94.6	-1.3
University of Wales College of Medicine	86.5	87.7	-1.2
University of Birmingham	80.6	81.4	-0.8
University of York	78.7	79.2	-0.5
Ravensbourne College of Design and Communication	97.1	97.5	-0.4
Loughborough University	85.2	85.6	-0.4
Edinburgh College of Art	85.5	85.7	-0.2
Kent Institute of Art & Design	97.5	97.4	0.1
University of Surrey	87.6	87.5	0.1
St Mary's College	93.2	92.6	0.6
Harper Adams University College	86.7	86	0.7
Kingston University	94.4	93.7	0.7
University of Aberdeen	84.4	83.6	0.8
Leeds Metropolitan University	92.8	91.7	1.1
Nottingham Trent University	91.5	90.4	1.1
Roehampton University	93.3	92.1	1.2
Wimbledon School of Art	100	98.7	1.3
University of the Arts, London	94.9	93.6	1.3
Queen Mary and Westfield College	85.1	83.7	1.4
Coventry University	94.4	93	1.4
Arts Institute at Bournemouth	99.2	97.7	1.5
Surrey Institute of Art and Design, University College	97.3	95.8	1.5
Buckinghamshire Chilterns University College	97	95.4	1.6
University College Worcester	95	93.4	1.6
Bolton Institute of Higher Education	97.3	95.6	1.7
University of Brighton	92.5	90.7	1.8
University of Liverpool	85.1	83.3	1.8
University of Plymouth	92.4	90.3	2.1
University of Northumbria at Newcastle	90.1	87.9	2.2
University of Bradford	93.8	91.5	2.3
London Metropolitan University	96.4	94.1	2.3
Bournemouth University	93.2	90.7	2.5
University of East London	96.5	94	2.5
University of Greenwich	96	93.5	2.5
Cardiff University	84.5	82	2.5
Brunel University	92.2	89.6	2.6
Southampton Institute	95.4	92.8	2.6
University of Kent	89.4	86.7	2.7
College of St Mark and St John	96.3	93.6	2.7
University of Wales Institute, Cardiff	94.9	92.2	2.7
Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama	93.5	90.8	2.7
University of Westminster	95.5	92.7	2.8
Manchester Metropolitan University	94.9	92.1	2.8
Liverpool John Moores University	94.3	91.4	2.9
University of Derby	97	94.1	2.9
University of Gloucestershire	95.5	92.6	2.9
Cumbria Institute of the Arts	97.8	94.8	3
De Montfort University	95.9	92.9	3	+
University of Portsmouth	94.1	91.1	3
Cranfield University	96.6	93.4	3.2
Goldsmiths College	91.4	88.2	3.2
Dartington College of Arts	97.4	94	3.4
University of Sussex	84.7	81.3	3.4	+
Anglia Polytechnic University	96	92.5	3.5	+
London South Bank University	97	93.5	3.5
University College Chichester	97.3	93.7	3.6	+
Liverpool Hope University College	97.6	93.9	3.7	+
York St John College	96.2	92.5	3.7	+
University of Hertfordshire	96.8	92.9	3.9	+
Napier University	94.8	90.9	3.9	+
Aston University	91.9	87.9	4	+
University of Sheffield	83.1	79	4.1	+
Edge Hill College of Higher Education	97.9	93.7	4.2	+
University of Luton	98.9	94.7	4.2	+
Middlesex University	99	94.8	4.2	+
University of Teesside	98.1	93.8	4.3	+
University of Wales, Bangor	93.1	88.8	4.3	+
Bell College	96.5	92.2	4.3
University of Central Lancashire	96.4	92.1	4.3	+
Sheffield Hallam University	95.3	90.8	4.5	+
Writtle College	92.9	88.4	4.5
University of Wales, Newport	98.4	93.9	4.5
University of Salford	96	91.4	4.6	+
University of Wales, Swansea	92.6	87.9	4.7	+
Canterbury Christ Church University College	96	91.3	4.7	+
University of Central England in Birmingham	97	92.3	4.7	+
Trinity College, Carmarthen	99.2	94.5	4.7	+
University College Northampton	98.3	93.5	4.8	+
University of Glamorgan	98.6	93.8	4.8	+
Swansea Institute of Higher Education	98.3	93.5	4.8	+
University of Leicester	87.2	82.3	4.9	+
NE Wales Institute of Higher Education	98.9	94	4.9	+
University of Wolverhampton	98.9	93.8	5.1	+
Newman College of HE	99.1	93.9	5.2
University of Keele	91.3	86.1	5.2	+
University of Huddersfield	98	92.7	5.3	+
Staffordshire University	97.3	92	5.3	+
Thames Valley University	99	93.6	5.4
University of Sunderland	98.3	92.7	5.6	+
St Mary's University College	100	94.4	5.6	+
Stranmillis University College	100	94.4	5.6	+
Bishop Grosseteste College	97.4	91.7	5.7	+
University College Chester	97.3	91.5	5.8	+
University of Lincoln	97.3	91.5	5.8	+
University College Winchester	97.6	91.8	5.8	+
Robert Gordon University	94	88.2	5.8	+
Queen Margaret University College, Edinburgh	94.8	88.9	5.9	+
Birmingham College of Food, Tourism and Creative Studies	97.5	91.6	5.9	+
St Martin's College	98.7	92.7	6	+
University of Paisley	98.4	92.3	6.1	+
University of Lancaster	89	82.8	6.2	+
University of Glasgow	87.8	81.6	6.2	+
University of Abertay Dundee	97.7	91.4	6.3	+
University of Wales, Aberystwyth	93.1	86.7	6.4	+
Trinity and All Saints College	97.1	90.5	6.6	+
Heriot-Watt University	91.5	84.8	6.7	+
University of East Anglia	88	81.1	6.9	+
University of Essex	94.5	87.5	7	+
Norwich School of Art and Design	100	92.9	7.1	+
Glasgow Caledonian University	98.1	91	7.1	+
University of Dundee	92.5	84.7	7.8	+
University of Ulster	99.9	92.1	7.8	+
University of Wales, Lampeter	97	89	8
UHI Millennium Institute	100	91.6	8.4
University of Strathclyde	93.2	84.7	8.5	+
University of Hull	92.8	83.7	9.1	+
University of Stirling	94.3	85.1	9.2	+
Queen's University of Belfast	99.6	83.9	15.7	+