The number of private school students admitted into the University of Oxford has increased, with state school students less likely to receive an offer from the institution, figures show.

It comes shortly after analysis revealed a similar trend at the University of Cambridge, which saw a record drop in the proportion of state school admissions.

Oxford¡¯s latest admissions report shows that 14,110 UK pupils applied for places for the 2024-25 academic year ¨C the 10th?year in a row that the institution saw applications rise. Around one in five (17.9 per cent) pupils were admitted.

Of these, two-thirds (66.2 per cent) were from state schools and one-third (33.8 per cent) were from private schools. The proportion from the latter rose by 1.4 percentage points compared with 2023.

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This was the largest annual increase since at least 2010, according to?analysis by?51³Ô¹Ï.

The offer rate gap reached its highest level since 2017, with a quarter (24.2 per cent) of all private school pupils receiving an offer, compared with 19.1 per cent of their peers in state schools.?

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Although the proportion of state school pupils is higher at Cambridge (at 71 per cent), statistics published yesterday revealed that this rate also suffered the largest fall since comparable records began in 2013.

In 2024, the number of students entitled to free school meals admitted to Oxford increased for the third year in a row to 8.1 per cent.

A spokesperson said the university is committed to ensuring that its intake reflects the diversity of the UK and that it continues to attract students with the highest academic potential from all backgrounds.

¡°We know that factors such as socio-economic disadvantage and school performance can make it difficult for some students to access their full potential before applying to university and therefore use a range of contextual information to help us to better understand students¡¯ achievements.¡±

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Last year, Oxford launched targeted new initiatives in regions of the UK where fewer students apply from and also published a new Access and Participation Plan, which ¡°provides a renewed focus in attracting and supporting students currently under-represented¡±.

Oxford admitted another record number of black and ethnic minority students from within the UK?in 2024.

Of the 2,557 accepted on to courses, 30.8 per cent identified as black, Asian, mixed heritage, Arab or any other ethnicity except white (BME). This was up from 28.8 per cent in 2023.

patrick.jack@timeshighereducation.com