UCL has higher state intake than many Russell Group peers

UCL has a higher intake of students from state school backgrounds than Oxford, Cambridge and many of its other Russell Group peers, according to the latest figures from Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA). HESA's  data on widening participation showed that in 2016/2017 UCL's proportion of students from the state sector stood at 67.6%, compared with 57.7% for Oxford and 62.5% for Cambridge, which was only just ahead of Durham's 62. UCL is still eight points below its benchmark of 75.9% but has higher state school rates than Bristol (64. Edinburgh (66.4%) and Imperial (63. The main barrier to widening participation for universities like UCL is attainment. UCL is spending about £4 million a year on outreach work with state schools and students to improve attainment levels. UCL has participated in the national Realising Opportunities scheme since August 2015 under which we use contextual data to assess applicants for admission to the university. Successful applicants who get an offer can receive a reduction of up to two grades in this offer.