Angus South Constituency MSP Graeme Dey has welcomed the news that a record number of full time first degree students at Scottish universities were from the most deprived areas in Scotland last year.
New figures show that, in 2017/18, 15.6% of students entering university were from the 20% most deprived areas. This is 0.4% short of the Government’s target for 2021.
Last year also saw an increase in the total number of Scottish students enrolling in Scottish universities.
The statistics, published by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), show the latest progress in the drive to widen access to higher education.
Mr Dey commented:
“These statistics show that good progress is being made in relation to widening access to higher education.
“It is pleasing to see that there was a record number of entrants from the most deprived areas in Scotland in 2017/18 and that overall there was an increase in the number of Scottish domiciled students enrolling in Scottish universities.
“The Scottish Government continues to work hard to ensure that every young person in Scotland has a range of options to pursue no matter their background.”
