Following the return to examinations this year, a record 60.1% of Scottish students gained a place at their firm choice university, up from the pre-pandemic level of 57.5% in 2019. This figure will rise as more confirmation decisions are made over the coming days.
Today has also seen continued success in widening access, with a significant closing of the gender progression gap for young people in Scotland (19 and under). In 2019, 50% more females progressed to higher education than males. Today that has narrowed to 39% (from 47% last year).
Participation of young students from the most disadvantaged areas (SIMD40) is reassuringly up from pre-pandemic levels, with 23.9% of all acceptances from SIMD40 areas compared to 23.4 last year and 22.4% in 2019, reaffirming the continued support to widen access in Scotland.
