This project makes use of newly linked administrative datasets to better understand the determinants of participation in Higher Education (HE) amongst different types of student. In particular, it aims to investigate whether individuals from poorer backgrounds or from particular ethnic minority groups remain less likely to participate in HE once you allow for prior educational achievement. If HE participation rates are similar amongst equally qualified individuals, regardless of their social or ethnic background, then it suggests that the origins of the gaps in HE participation arise from education inequalities in the school system itself, rather than as a result of factors that arise on entry into HE (e.g. the financial costs associated with attending university).

In addition to HE participation rates, we also consider differences in the quality of HE institute attended and the subject studied by students from different social and ethnic backgrounds.

This project is unique in being able to follow a particular cohort of children (all state school children in England in Year 11 in 2001-02) from age 11 right through to age 19 (i.e. we are able to consider both HE participants and HE non-participants). We observe whether these students continued into post compulsory education in 2002-03 and/or 2003-04, and into HE in 2004-05 and/or 2005-06 (i.e. at age 18 or 19). This means that we are able to consider the academic trajectories of pupils from poorer socio-economic backgrounds (and ethnic minority groups) and identify when their relative academic achievement falls away (if indeed it does).