The proportion of state school pupils accepted at the University of Oxford this academic year has fallen.

The University of Oxford’s admissions data shows that 67.6 per cent of successful UK-domiciled undergraduates were educated in state schools in 2023.

It marks a drop from the previous year when 68.1 per cent of British undergraduate students admitted to Oxford came from the state sector.

This is the third year in a row that the proportion of state educated students admitted to Oxford has fallen.

But the figure remains higher than in 2019, the year before the pandemic, when 62.3 per cent of UK undergraduates were from state schools.

The latest data shows that more state school students applied to Oxford, from 9,965 in 2022 to 10,150 in 2023, and the number of offers made by the institution to state-educated pupils also increased, from 1,851 to 1,935.

But overall the total number of students admitted from the state sector decreased, from 1,678 in 2022 to 1,662 in 2023.

The report also shows that fewer students from areas of low progression to higher education were admitted to Oxford in 2023 than before the pandemic.

(Image: Newsquest)

In 2023, 13.3 per cent of UK undergraduates admitted to Oxford were from the two groups with lowest progression to higher education – known as POLAR quintiles 1 and 2 – compared to 16.6 per cent in 2022 and 14.0 per cent in 2019.

Oxford’s annual admissions report, published on Monday, also showed that the proportion of UK students and non-EU students admitted to the institution has risen since 2019, while fewer EU students have been admitted.

The proportion of British students accepted into Oxford this academic year has increased slightly, from 79.4 per cent in 2022 to 79.5 per cent in 2023.

Meanwhile, the proportion of students from non-EU countries has remained the same as the previous year (16.8 per cent), and the proportion of students from the EU has fallen from 3.8 per cent in 2022 to 3.7 per cent in 2023.

The report also showed that the number of UK-domiciled Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) applicants to Oxford has increased since 2019, as have the numbers of students receiving offers and being admitted.

The proportion of UK-domiciled students admitted to Oxford who said they identify as BME has risen from 27.8 per cent in 2022 to 28.8 per cent in 2023.

An Oxford University spokesperson said: “Oxford embraces students from all school types and is committed to attracting students with the highest academic potential, from a diverse range of backgrounds.

“This figure can be affected by a number of factors, including the number of applicants who successfully meet the conditions of their offer.”

Julie McCulloch, director of policy at the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), called the figures “disappointing” as she said it is “still a long way short of reflecting wider society.”

She said: “If we want a more equitable society we have to do more to achieve that objective.”