Record number of 18 year olds in higher education

However young, white men from lower income families remain under represented and the good progress made may be “slowing down” according to UCAS.

The report found that the number of 18 year olds accepted into university rose by 1.5 per cent to 238,900 and despite a drop in the population of 18 year olds, this number is the highest recorded to date.

The chances of entering higher education have increased too with an increase in around 4 per cent across the UK. This has meant a record 32.5 per cent attendance in England.

Overall there were 465,500 people from the UK placed in higher education through UCAS in 2016, an increase of 0.4 per cent.

Men still least likely to go to uni

The End of Cycle report also examines how the entry rate differs between different social groups. “Although the number of students from disadvantaged backgrounds entering higher education has reached record levels again this year, there are early signals that the good progress made in recent years may be slowing down,” says UCAS’ Chief Executiv