The success rate in comprehensives was 84%

Figures published by the admissions service, Ucas, show the success rate of grammar school applicants was 89.1%.

At the independent schools, 86.3% of the applicants were awarded places on the degree courses they had sought.

Least successful were students from further and higher education colleges, at 72.3%.

The colleges accounted for the largest number group of applications, 84,671.

General improvement

The likelihood of getting onto a degree course improved across the board from 2003, however - overall from 79.8% to 80.9%.

The figures are contained in the annual set of data about applicants to higher education institutions, published late on Friday by Ucas (Universities and Colleges Admissions Service).

There were 74,336 applicants from comprehensives, of whom 62,445 were accepted onto courses - a success rate of 84%.

The equivalent figure in Scotland was 76% and in Wales, 85.8%. Neither has grammar schools.

The 39,151 applicants from sixth form colleges in England fared much the same as those from comprehensives with sixth forms, with 84.3% gaining places.

This was the same as the figure for grammar schools in Northern Ireland, which retains a largely selective secondary system.

England's 164 grammar schools, with pupils selected on academic ability, accounted for 11,077 successful applications.

That was just over 5% of the 217,563 people who began courses, whose educational background was known.

The 28,133 successful students from the independent sector - selective and non-selective - were 12.9% of the total, with 28.7% being from state comprehensives.

Social and ethnic differences

There were also variations in the success rates for applicants from different socio-economic backgrounds.

In the higher managerial and professional occupations, 83.9% of applicants won places.

At the lower end of the scale, 75.2% of those with parents in "routine occupations" were successful.

Ethnically the success rate reflected that of different groups in school exams: 81.7% of Chinese applicants were successful - and only 67.2% of black applicants.

The majority white applicants (78% of those whose ethnic group was known) had a success rate of 79.9%.