A slight increase in students from poorer families

Among those starting higher education in autumn 2002 - the most recent year for which there is data - the official figure was 87.2%, up from 86% in 2001.

But there was a wide variation in performance between universities, which are set benchmarks for state school pupil intakes.

Oxford missed its mark by the widest margin, whereas Queen's, Belfast,

exceeded its by the most.

Oxbridge

For the higher education sector as a whole, the Courtauld Institute of Art, the Royal College of Music, the Royal Agricultural College and Royal Academy of Music missed their benchmarks by the largest amounts.

However, these were all among the smallest institutions looked at by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (Hesa).

Among the universities, Oxford took 55.2% of students from state schools, having been set a benchmark of 77.2%.

Next on the list were Cambridge (57.6%, as opposed to 76.8%) and University College London (61.4% to 80.1%).

More than two-thirds of the 165 institutions listed exceeded their benchmarks.

These were led by Queen's Belfast, which took 99.8% of students from state schools, compared with a guideline of 84.4%.

Next was St Mary's University College, in Surrey, all of whose 2002 intake was from the sector, having been set 87.2%.

Third was City University, London, with 99.5% from state schools, compared with a benchmark of 89.2%.

Some universities and the Independent Schools Council have complained that the benchmarks they were set were unfairly raised.

The independent schools spoke of "scarcely concealed blackmail" - fearing that the new Office for Fair Access would use the benchmarks in negotiations with universities wanting to charge higher tuition fees from 2006.

Non-completion

Hesa also found the number of students predicted not to finish their degrees had fallen.

For the 2001 intake, the figure was 15% and for 2002 it was 14.1%.

A spokeswoman for Universities UK, which represents vice-chancellors, said: "Once again these indicators provide further evidence of the excellent world-class performance of the UK higher education sector.

"Retention rates at UK universities continue to be among the highest in the world, while they continue to work at widening participation."

However, the way the figures were compiled changed slightly over the period, making it difficult to compare them directly.

Some 309,315 students entered higher education in the UK in autumn 2002.

The table below shows the proportion that came from state schools:

STATE SCHOOL STUDENTS
Institution	% state	% benchmark	+ / -
Courtauld Institute of Art	25.8	74.9	-49.1
Royal College of Music	45.5	89.7	-44.2
Royal Agricultural College	44.6	88.7	-44.1
Royal Academy of Music	56.8	87.9	-31.1
The University of Oxford	55.4	77.2	-21.8
The University of Cambridge	57.6	76.8	-19.2
University College London	61.4	80.1	-18.7
The University of St Andrews	62.4	79.3	-16.9
The University of Exeter	66.9	82.7	-15.8
Imperial College of Science, Technology & Medicine	62.7	78.2	-15.5
The University of Edinburgh	65.7	81.0	-15.3
The University of Bristol	63.8	78.9	-15.1
London School of Economics and Political Science	66.1	79.3	-13.2
Oxford Brookes University	75.5	88.6	-13.1
The School of Oriental and African Studies	68.5	81.5	-13.0
University of Durham	68.3	80.1	-11.8
King`s College London	70.2	80.7	-10.5
The University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne	73.8	82.0	-8.2
Trinity College of Music	82.1	90.1	-8.0
Rose Bruford College	85.8	93.3	-7.5
The University of Nottingham	72.8	79.9	-7.1
St George`s Hospital Medical School	68.8	75.7	-6.9
Royal Holloway and Bedford New College	77.8	83.7	-5.9
The University of Leeds	76.7	82.6	-5.9
The School of Pharmacy	83.0	88.3	-5.3
The University of Reading	80.8	85.6	-4.8
The University of Manchester Institute of Science & Technology	81.6	86.2	-4.6
The University of Warwick	77.8	81.9	-4.1
University of the West of England, Bristol	86.1	90.2	-4.1
The University of Bath	79.7	83.8	-4.1
Harper Adams University College	85.0	88.2	-3.2
The University of Birmingham	78.9	81.8	-2.9
The University of Southampton	80.9	83.8	-2.9
Edinburgh College of Art	86.9	89.7	-2.8
Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama	88.5	91.3	-2.8
St Mary`s College	89.2	91.7	-2.5
The Royal Veterinary College	66.1	68.4	-2.3
Loughborough University	84.5	86.0	-1.5
The London Institute	94.7	96.2	-1.5
University of Manchester	79.9	81.1	-1.2
The University of York	79.3	80.4	-1.1
The University of Northumbria at Newcastle	89.4	90.0	-0.6
The Arts Institute at Bournemouth	96.6	97.0	-0.4
Queen Mary and Westfield College	84.8	85.0	-0.2
The University of Aberdeen	84.3	84.5	-0.2
Birmingham College of Food, Tourism and Creative Studies	92.9	92.8	0.1
The Nottingham Trent University	90.2	90.1	0.1
The University of Surrey	88.0	87.7	0.3
University of Surrey, Roehampton	92.3	91.5	0.8
The University of Sussex	85.2	84.3	0.9
The University of Brighton	92.3	91.3	1.0
Kingston University	93.7	92.6	1.1
Dartington College of Arts	93.8	92.6	1.2
Buckinghamshire Chilterns University College	96.5	95.0	1.5
Wimbledon School of Art	100.0	98.3	1.7
The University of Teesside	95.5	93.5	2.0
University College Chichester	95.3	93.3	2.0
The University of Sheffield	82.6	80.5	2.1
University College Worcester	95.3	93.2	2.1
The University of Liverpool	86.2	84.0	2.2
Aston University	90.6	88.3	2.3
Bournemouth University	93.0	90.7	2.3
London South Bank University	95.3	92.9	2.4
Brunel University	91.9	89.5	2.4
Goldsmiths College	90.5	88.1	2.4
The Surrey Institute of Art and Design, University College	98.6	96.1	2.5
The University of Plymouth	92.8	90.3	2.5
Kent Institute of Art & Design	98.7	96.1	2.6
Cardiff University	85.2	82.5	2.7
Central School of Speech and Drama	95.7	93.0	2.7
Leeds Metropolitan University	93.9	91.2	2.7
The University of Bradford	94.3	91.6	2.7
University of Wales Institute, Cardiff	94.9	92.2	2.7
University of Gloucestershire	94.2	91.4	2.8
The University of Westminster	94.9	92.1	2.8
Falmouth College of Arts	96.9	94.0	2.9
The University of Kent	89.7	2.9
Canterbury Christ Church University College	94.0	91.0	3.0
Coventry University	95.7	92.6	3.1
Queen Margaret University College, Edinburgh	93.6	90.3	3.3
The Manchester Metropolitan University	94.7	91.4	3.3
Bath Spa University College	94.9	91.6	3.3
The University of Portsmouth	93.9	90.6	3.3
University of Wales College of Medicine	93.1	89.7	3.4
The University of Wales, Lampeter	91.5	88.1	3.4
Cranfield University	93.3	89.7	3.6
Liverpool Hope University College	96.8	93.2	3.6
Southampton Institute	94.9	91.3	3.6
University of Hertfordshire	96.5	92.8	3.7
Bolton Institute of Higher Education	98.2	94.4	3.8
University of Wales, Swansea	91.5	87.7	3.8
Thames Valley University	98.1	94.2	3.9
University of Derby	97.3	93.4	3.9
The University of Greenwich	97.0	93.0	4.0
Middlesex University	97.8	93.7	4.1
University of Luton	98.3	94.2	4.1
Liverpool John Moores University	95.7	91.6	4.1
The University of Keele	91.2	87.1	4.1
De Montfort University	96.4	92.2	4.2
The University of East London	97.4	93.2	4.2
The University of Leicester	87.5	83.2	4.3
University College Northampton	97.3	93.0	4.3
Sheffield Hallam University	94.9	90.6	4.3
Cumbria Institute of the Arts	97.6	93.2	4.4
Napier University	95.9	91.5	4.4
Trinity College, Carmarthen	98.2	93.8	4.4
London Metropolitan University	96.8	92.3	4.5
The University of Huddersfield	97.9	93.4	4.5
University of Central England in Birmingham	97.0	92.5	4.5
Trinity and All Saints College	94.8	90.2	4.6
College of St Mark and St John	97.0	92.3	4.7
University of Wales College, Newport	99.3	94.6	4.7
Anglia Polytechnic University	96.5	91.7	4.8
Staffordshire University	96.8	92.0	4.8
The University of Hull	93.0	88.2	4.8
The University of Salford	95.9	91.1	4.8
The University of Central Lancashire	96.6	91.7	4.9
University of Glamorgan	97.8	92.9	4.9
Bishop Grosseteste College	94.9	90.0	4.9
Ravensbourne College of Design and Communication	98.4	93.5	4.9
St Martin`s College	96.9	92.0	4.9
The University of East Anglia	88.4	83.4	5.0
The University of Sunderland	96.9	91.9	5.0
Conservatoire for Dance and Drama	96.7	91.6	5.1
Swansea Institute of Higher Education	98.8	93.6	5.2
The North-East Wales Institute of Higher Education	99.0	93.8	5.2
Heriot-Watt University	92.0	86.7	5.3
University of Abertay Dundee	97.2	91.8	5.4
The University of Stirling	92.1	86.6	5.5
The University of Wolverhampton	98.6	93.0	5.6
University of Wales, Aberystwyth	92.9	87.3	5.6
King Alfred`s College, Winchester	96.6	90.9	5.7
The University of Paisley	98.1	92.2	5.9
York St John College	96.2	90.3	5.9
Edge Hill College of Higher Education	98.3	92.2	6.1
The Robert Gordon University	95.1	89.0	6.1
University of London (Institutes and activities)	80.6	74.5	6.1
Glasgow School of Art	97.2	90.9	6.3
The University of Lincoln	97.3	90.9	6.4
The University of Dundee	91.7	85.1	6.6
The University of Strathclyde	92.4	85.8	6.6
The University of Glasgow	89.2	82.5	6.7
UHI Millennium Institute	100.0	93.2	6.8
University of Wales, Bangor	95.8	89.0	6.8
Chester College of HE	97.6	90.7	6.9
Stranmillis University College	99.6	92.7	6.9
The University of Lancaster	90.7	83.8	6.9
Bell College	98.8	91.7	7.1
Writtle College	96.7	89.4	7.3
Glasgow Caledonian University	97.0	89.4	7.6
Norwich School of Art and Design	100.0	92.4	7.6
The University of Essex	95.6	87.6	8.0
University of Ulster	100.0	91.6	8.4
Newman College of HE	100.0	89.8	10.2
City University	99.5	89.2	10.3
St Mary`s University College	100.0	87.2	12.8
The Queen`s University of Belfast	99.8	84.4	15.4
Source: HESA

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