Higher education participation rates have fallen among young people formerly eligible for free school meals (FSM), new data shows.

The rate has fallen “slightly” over each of the past three years, with the latest findings revealing 28.6 per cent of those on free school meals progressed to higher education by age 19 in 2024-25. This is down from 28.9 per cent the year prior.

The data is based on the cohort of young people who were 15 in 2020-21 and maps their participation in higher education by age 19. 

Released by the Department for Education (DfE), demonstrate an overall dip in higher education participation rates among all students, from 46 per cent in 2023-24 to 44.7 per cent in 2024-25. Nonetheless, the rate remains higher than the pre-pandemic figure of 44.5 per cent.

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When monitoring rates according to FSM eligibility, the numbers show a smaller proportion of FSM-eligible young people made it into higher-tariff institutions by 2024-25.

By age 19, 4.6 per cent of the FSM group were studying at these institutions, which typically have the highest entry standards. This was down from 5.2 per cent for the previous cohort analysed.

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The gap between participation rates for FSM-eligible and non-FSM-eligible pupils was the lowest it had been in the past four years at 19.8 percentage points, but was higher than the pre-pandemic difference of 18.7 percentage points.

The data also showed that FSM-eligible pupils in inner London were more likely to progress to higher education than many of their peers elsewhere. Over half (50.8 per cent) of this group had progressed to higher education by age 19 by 2024-25. Outer London and the West Midlands followed, with rates of 45.1 per cent and 30.1 per cent respectively.

The south west, meanwhile, had the lowest participation rate of all the regions: 18.4 per cent of those counted as FSM pupils went on to higher education.

Regardless of FSM eligibility, the lowest participation rates were among students of Irish heritage from the Traveller community, Gypsy Roma people, white people of English, Welsh, Scottish, Northern Irish or British backgrounds, and white and black Caribbean pupils.

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Black Caribbean pupils were among the least likely to go on to study at high-tariff institutions by age 19, with a participation rate of 5.6 per cent for the 2020-21 cohort – under half the overall national figure (12.1 per cent).

Graeme Atherton, associate pro-vice-chancellor at the University of West London and head of the Ruskin Institute for Social Equity, said it was “disappointing” to see “another decline” in the rate of pupils on free school meals progressing to higher education.

Atherton said students may be “increasingly aware of the costs of attending higher education and the cost of participating in higher education – those being two different things. I think also we’re seeing a pandemic impact on achievement, as well.”

He suggested that efforts to widen participation and improve access to university had perhaps become a “bit stagnant” in recent years.

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“It does reveal the fact that we do need new thinking and re-energising of this area of work or we will continue to see higher education remain a distant dream for some young people and some areas.”

georgia.luckhurst@timeshighereducation.com