HC Deb 26 April 2004 vol 420 cc816-7W
Mr. Sheerman

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of students attending university were from each of the lowest two social classes in each of the last 10 years. [166733]

Alan Johnson

The available information is taken from the University and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) and covers UK-domiciled applicants, accepted to full-time undergraduate courses. The method of calculating social class adopted for social class data for 2002 entry onwards is the National Statistics Socio-Economic Class (NS-SEC). Hence, proportions for 2002 entry and 2003 entry are not directly comparable to earlier years and have been given separately.

Proportion1 of UK domiciled applicants, accepted through UCAS, from each social class, 2002–03 entry
Year of entry
National Statistics Socio-Economic Class (NS-SEC) 2002 2003
1. Higher managerial and professional occupations 23 22
2. Lower managerial and professional occupations 31 31
3. Intermediate occupations 16 15
4. Small employers and own account workers 7 7
5. Lower supervisory and technical occupations 5 5
6. Semi-routine occupations 13 13
7. Routine occupations 6 6
Total 100 100
1 of those of known social class
Source:
Universities and Colleges Admissions Service

EU domiciles accepted through UCAS to UK institutions, 1994–2003 entry
Year of entry
Domicile 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003
Austria1 78 132 208 176 193 189 198 179 201
Belgium 290 295 377 416 401 431 401 424 442 485
Denmark 128 148 207 279 259 269 272 269 285 251
Finland1 180 444 724 655 557 457 447 421 404
France 487 720 883 1,288 1,337 1,519 1,690 1,551 1,710 2,029
Germany 891 1,021 1,102 1,475 1,656 1,624 1,693 1,541 1,609 1,675
Gibraltar 132 192 152 175 203 177 220 160 156 158
Greece 2,207 3,448 4,947 5,804 5,565 5,046 4,005 2,721 2,081 1,690
Irish Republic 2,984 4,298 3,815 3,878 2,933 2,602 2,273 2,180 2,390 2.874
Italy 329 395 414 538 572 645 499 496 505 510
Luxembourg 89 111 103 143 163 176 188 167 162 174
Netherlands 210 224 233 237 250 245 268 242 284 340
Portugal 134 177 242 287 269 313 304 313 321 356
Spain 371 464 521 617 659 788 674 693 720 742
Sweden1 213 365 674 791 936 913 773 727 683
Total EU 8,252 11,964 13,937 16,743 15,889 15,521 14,046 12,175 11,992 12,572
1 Austria, Finland and Sweden joined the EU in 1995.
Source:
Universities and Colleges Admissions Service