Purpose
1. The purpose of this report is to present the latest trends in participation in higher education
(HE) among young people in England. These trends are reported for 14 cohorts of young people
who were aged 18 in the academic years from 1998-99 to 2011-12. The youngest cohort
considered are those who would have entered HE aged 18 the year before the introduction of the
recent HE reforms. This provides a baseline against which the monitoring of young participation
rates in the new HE funding environment can be measured.
2. Trends are reported at national, regional and parliamentary constituency levels to highlight
how changes in HE participation rates have varied in different parts of the country. Trends are
also reported for young people who live in areas characterised by different levels of
disadvantage, to show how the propensity for young people from different backgrounds to
participate in HE has changed over time. The respective participation rates of young women and
young men are also reported.