White pupils are the least likely group to get into a top university for the third year running, analysis suggests.
Official data from the Department for Education (DfE) shows only 11.7 per cent of white pupils are attending the highest-ranking third of universities by age 19.
This compares with 12.1 per cent of black pupils, 15.5 per cent of those who are mixed race and 18.6 per cent of Asians.
The underperformance of white students is partly driven by British pupils from low-income families – one of the lowest-achieving sub-categories.
Only 3 per cent of these pupils made it into ‘high-tariff’ universities – defined as the top for entry requirements.
