The proportion of state school students entering the University of Oxford increased slightly last year, but it still lags behind what it was at the start of the decade as both Oxbridge institutions continue to report patchy progress on widening participation.
The university’s most recent admissions report reveals 66.5 per cent of its 2025 UK-based intake attended non-fee-paying schools, up on 66.2 per cent last year but down from 68.2 per cent in 2021.
Privately educated pupils, who make up approximately 6.4 per cent of the total school population, have increased at the institution compared with 2021, although the proportion of undergraduates formerly eligible for free school meals (FSMs) has risen over the same period.
Those with the FSM entitlement attending Oxford grew from 5.3 per cent in 2021 to 6.6 per cent in 2025. But the latest figure was down on the 8.1 per cent reported last year.
Across the period 2021-25, the proportion of women decreased from 55.2 per cent to 50.6 per cent.
