Students from Scotland’s most deprived neighbourhoods are progressing into higher education in greater numbers, and increasingly choosing to continue with their course after their first year of study.
New analysis by the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) shows in 2024-25, 17.4 per cent of full-time university entrants studying for their first degree were from the 20 per cent most deprived areas in the country, up from 16.7 per cent the year prior. The figure is the highest recorded as part of the SFC’s annual Report on Widening Access.
However the report warns Scotland may miss its next access target, which aims to ensure 18 per cent of all full-time, first-degree entrants to university come from the 20 per cent of most deprived areas by 2026.
This is seen as an interim target as the country builds towards its overall goal of achieving 20 per cent by 2030.
Early entrance figures show meeting the aim for this year will “become more challenging”. Preliminary indicators from the SFC’s early access return, which has not been published, suggest this cohort may decrease slightly for 2025-26 entrants, while initial results by admissions service Ucas expect the proportion will be largely unchanged.
