Academic year 2023/24

Participation measures in higher education

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Introduction

The Cohort-based Higher Education Participation (CHEP) measure

This statistic measures higher education (HE) participation by school cohorts. It includes people participating in both traditional HE qualifications at UK higher education providers and English further education providers, as well as work-based learning such as apprenticeships.

Cohorts of 15-year-olds from English state and special schools are monitored through time to create a percentage of those who have participated in HE.

Time series in this publication will focus on participation in HE by age 25. This will be referred to as the CHEP-25 rate. Participation data for other ages and breakdowns have been made available in the downloadable files.

This release now includes work-based learning at level 4 or above such as apprenticeships, whether or not they include a taught component at a higher education provider. This reflects the changing higher education landscape and the aim to monitor all level 4 and 5 study, not just traditional HE routes. Participation statistics according to this definition were first published in a subsection of the 2022/23 release. In this release, all sections have now been produced using the expanded definition of HE participation.

Participation data for all breakdowns under the previous methodology have been made available in the downloadable files. See the ‘About this release’ section for more information.

Proposed changes to this publication

The Department for Education regularly reviews its statistical publications for quality and relevance of content and to ensure the statistics meet user needs.

In order to improve and expand our reporting, we are proposing to publish our higher education participation statistics in one series by combining this publication with Widening participation in higher education (opens in new tab). The combined series would bring data together in one place and allow us to publish in a timelier manner with one annual release replacing the two existing ones.  

The combined series would continue to cover the progression rates of English state-funded school pupils to higher education and would also expand to include additional breakdowns by student characteristics and participation rates for older age groups. Participation rates would be based on both traditional HE qualifications and work-based learning such as apprenticeships to reflect the changing higher education landscape and the aim to monitor all level 4 and 5 study, not just traditional HE routes. 

We are also proposing to discontinue producing data or statistics under the previous definition/scope (used for most of the 2022/23 and all of the 2020/21 and 2021/22 CHEP publications), which excluded most work-based learning such as apprenticeships. This would ensure that statistics capture all HE routes and the coverage for the proposed combined series is consistent and clear.

Please provide any feedback on this proposed change to he.statistics@education.gov.uk by 31st May 2026.
 

Related information

Releases in this series

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About this release

The Cohort-based Higher Education Participation (CHEP) measure

This statistic measures higher education (HE) participation by school cohorts. It calculates the proportion of the population that have started a qualification at level 4 or above (opens in new tab).

The percentage of individuals entering HE is measured for each cohort in English state and special schools at age 15. This includes people participating in both HE qualifications at UK higher education providers and English further education providers, as well as work-based learning such as apprenticeships.

There is likely to be some unfunded learning in English further education colleges (FECs) that is not recorded as it is not mandatory for providers to record information in the ILR on their unfunded learners. There may also be higher-level learning in the private sector that is not recorded in administrative data held by government.

Cohorts of 15-year-olds can be tracked from 2001/02 in the National Pupil Database (NPD), up until their first participation in HE in 2023/24, the latest year available, when that cohort will have reached age 37.

Time series in this publication will focus on participation in HE by age 25 as this gives a good balance between timeliness while still giving students time to enter HE. This will be referred to as the CHEP-25 rate.
 

Changes in the 2023/24 publication

For the first time, alongside traditional HE, this release now includes work-based learning at levels 4 and above such as apprenticeships across all sections of the publication, whether or not they include a taught component at a higher education provider. This reflects the changing higher education landscape and the aim to monitor all level 4 and 5 study, not just traditional HE routes. Participation data for all breakdowns under the previous methodology are still available in the downloadable files.

Further breakdowns have also been made available for the 2023/24 publication, with new sections added on free school meal eligibility, disadvantage, and level of study. Participation data for these breakdowns, as well as a breakdown by both qualification aim and level of study, are available in the downloadable files for the first time. The ‘Projecting future HE participation’ and ‘Other data sources’ sections that were in the 2022/23 publication are now available in the methodology note.

See the methodology note for further information about each of these changes.
 

Coverage

The denominator for the CHEP measure is pupils who attended state schools and all special schools in England at age 15. The numerator includes those who have participated in higher education (either traditional HE qualifications or work-based learning such as apprenticeships at levels 4 and above (opens in new tab)) in UK providers in either the Higher Education Statistics Agency's (HESA) Student or Alternative Provider Student records, or the Individualised Learner Record (ILR) (opens in new tab) from English further education colleges (FECs). As of 2022/23, the Alternative Provider Student record has been merged with the HESA Student record.

Pupils are deemed to have participated in higher education where they are:

  1. Completed successfully
  2. Continuing into the following year
  3. Lasting over 6 months

Participation in HE at Alternative Providers is included for students who started courses in 2014/15 or later. 
 

Exclusions

The following are not currently included in the CHEP measure:

  • Pupils who attended independent schools
  • Participation in Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish colleges
  • Participation outside the UK
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Age

Charts and tables throughout this publication reference the academic year that each cohort was aged 15. Ages are those recorded on 31st of August at the start of the academic year.

For example, a pupil aged 15 in 2001/02 (our earliest cohort), was aged 20 in 2006/07, aged 25 in 2011/12, and aged 30 in 2016/17.

Summary of HE participation by ages 20, 25 and 30

  • the latest cohort we can report participation by age 30 for is the 15-years-olds from 2008/09. For this cohort CHEP-30 was 47.5%, an increase of 1.0 percentage point from the 2007/08 cohort, and an increase of 6.5 percentage points from the 2001/02 cohort.
  • the latest cohort we can report participation by age 25 for is the 15-year-olds from 2013/14. For this cohort CHEP-25 was 50.9%, an increase of 0.9 percentage points from the 2012/13 cohort, and an increase of 12.0 percentage points from the 2001/02 cohort.
  • the latest cohort we can report participation by age 20 for is the 15-year-olds from 2018/19. For this cohort CHEP-20 was 49.9%, the same figure as the 2017/18 cohort, and an increase of 16.2 percentage points from the 2001/02 cohort.

Focus on HE participation by age 25

  • Time series in this publication will focus on participation in higher education by age 25 (CHEP-25) as it provides a good balance between keeping the measure timely and allowing students time to enter into HE.
  • The CHEP-25 rate has increased for every cohort of 15-year-olds since 2001/02, reaching 50.9% for the 2013/14 cohort of 15-year-olds who had participated by the age of 25 in 2023/24. This increase was largely driven by the 18-year-old contribution, which accounted for 29.8 percentage points of the 50.9% rate.
  • The difference in the participation rate between ages 20 and 25 has consistently remained close to 5 percentage points for the cohorts from 2001/02 to 2013/14, meaning the proportion entering into in HE between ages 21 and 25 has remained stable over time.

Participation by single year of age

  • Our cohort analysis allows us to examine the participation rate for every 15-year-old cohort from 2001/02 to 2021/22, and their participation in HE by 2023/24.
  • The table below shows that 15-year-olds in 2020/21 have HE participation data available only as far as age 18, while the 2001/02 cohort has participation data available as far as age 37.
  • Note the table shows the cumulative percentage, so for example the age 25 column (which is CHEP-25) shows the percentage that have entered by 25, instead of at 25.
  • The highest rate measured so far using the cohort method was for the 2017/18 cohort of 15-year-olds, of which 51.4% had participated in HE by age 21 in 2023/24.

Impact of 2012/13 reforms

  • Previous participation measures were impacted by the introduction of variable tuition fees in 2012/13, with fewer 18-year-olds in 2011/12 deferring their studies than is typical and instead deciding to enter in 2011/12 to take advantage of the lower fee level.
  • The percentage of the 2008/09 cohort that had participated in HE by age 18 was 27.1%, 3.1 percentage points higher than the previous cohort.

Impact from COVID-19

  • Recent cohorts of 15-year-olds (particularly the 2016/17 and 2017/18 cohorts) include A level pupils who were likely to be affected by disruption to assessments caused by COVID-19.
  • A level pupils received Centre Assessed Grades in 2019/20 and Teacher Assessed Grades in 2020/21, with pupils more likely to achieve higher grades than in previous years. This led to more pupils being accepted to HE and could explain the increased participation by age 18 rates in recent years. Comparisons with earlier cohorts should therefore be treated with caution.
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Sex

This section was previously titled ‘Gender’. From the 2023/24 academic year, the gender data item in the School Census has been replaced by a new sex data item.

Data is collected on sex (a value which identifies the sex of a person as recognised in law) on a mandatory basis and schools are required to record it as ‘F’ female or ‘M’ male except for rare instances where the legal sex of a pupil cannot be established by the school.

For publication purposes the historical gender variable and the new sex variable will be conflated into a single time series under the sex heading.

  • For the 2013/14 cohort of 15-year-olds who had participated by age 25 in 2023/24, the CHEP-25 rate was 57.1% for females, an increase of 1.2 percentage points from the 2012/13 cohort. For males, the CHEP-25 rate was 45.0%, an increase of 0.6 percentage points from the 2012/13 cohort.
  • The female-male gap in participation increased to 12.1 percentage points for the 2013/14 cohort, up from 11.5 percentage points for the 2012/13 cohort and 8.4 for the 2001/02 cohort.
     
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Region

Region is based on the location of the school that the pupil attended at age 15. The location of the school is determined by the Local Authority (LA) it reports to. In some cases, pupils may have lived in a different area to the one where their school was located, including some pupils attending schools in England who lived in Wales or Scotland.

  • For the 2013/14 cohort of 15-year-olds who had participated by age 25 in 2023/24, the region with the highest CHEP-25 rate was London. At 63.4%, the participation rate in London was 12.5 percentage points higher than England overall, with this gap widening from 7.4 percentage points for the 2001/02 cohort. London is highlighted in blue on the chart below.
  • For the 2013/14 cohort, the region with the lowest CHEP-25 rate was the South West. At 46.7%, the participation rate in the South West was 4.2 percentage points lower than England overall. The South West is highlighted in orange on the chart below.
     
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Free School Meals

Free School Meal eligibility is based on whether a pupil was eligible for Free School Meals at age 15.

The proportion of pupils eligible for Free School Meals (FSM) changes over time, which can affect the comparability of the figures. For those aged 15 in 2013/14, 14.5% were eligible for FSM, the second highest in the series but down from 14.9% for the 2012/13 cohort. See the methodology note for more information.

  • For the 2013/14 cohort of 15-year-olds who had participated by age 25 in 2023/24, the CHEP-25 rate for FSM eligible students was 35.3%, an increase of 0.3 percentage points from the previous cohort and 13.8 percentage points from the 2001/02 cohort. For all other pupils, the CHEP-25 rate was 53.6%, an increase of 0.9 percentage points from the previous cohort and 11.8 percentage points from the 2001/02 cohort.
  • The gap in participation between FSM eligible students and all other students was 18.3 percentage points for the 2013/14 cohort. This is an increase from 17.7 percentage points for the 2012/13 cohort but a decrease from 20.3 points for the 2001/02 cohort.
     
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Disadvantage

Pupils are defined as disadvantaged if they were eligible for Free School Meals at age 15 or at any point in the previous six years.

The proportion of disadvantaged pupils changes over time, which can affect the comparability of the figures. For those aged 15 in 2013/14, 26.6% were disadvantaged, up from 23.7% for those in the 2009/10 cohort of 15-year-olds. See the methodology note for more information.

Only the latest five years of data (relating to the 15-year-old cohorts between 2009/10 and 2013/14), for which we have complete and consistent breakdowns, have been published.

  • For the 2013/14 cohort of 15-year-olds who had participated by age 25 in 2023/24, the CHEP-25 rate was 36.9% for disadvantaged students, an increase of 5.7 percentage points from the 2009/10 cohort. For all other pupils, the CHEP-25 rate was 56.0%, an increase of 5.5 percentage points from the 2009/10 cohort.
  • The gap in participation between disadvantaged students and all other students was 19.1 percentage points for the 2013/14 cohort. This has remained relatively consistent over the time series for which we have complete data, decreasing slightly from 19.3 percentage points for the 2009/10 cohort.
     
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Qualification aim

Qualification aim refers to the first qualification that the individual was aiming to achieve when they set out in their studies.

For the first time, this release now includes work-based learning at levels 4 and above such as apprenticeships, whether or not they include a taught component at a higher education provider.

In this section, apprenticeships have been included as a separate category for the first time. See the methodology note for more information.

  • For the 2013/14 cohort of 15-year-olds who had participated by age 25 in 2023/24, the CHEP-25 rate was 44.5% for first degrees (including integrated masters), 2.0% for apprenticeships, and 4.4% for other qualifications.
  • Compared to the 2012/13 cohort who had participated by age 25 in 2022/23, CHEP-25 for the 2013/14 cohort increased by 0.8 percentage points for first degrees, and by 0.3 percentage points for apprenticeships. The CHEP-25 rate for the 2013/14 cohort decreased by 0.2 percentage points for foundation degrees and by 0.1 percentage points for HNC/HNDs.
  • The contribution of apprenticeships at levels 4 and above to the CHEP-25 rate has increased from less than 0.1% for the 2001/02 cohort to 2.0% for the 2013/14 cohort.
  • The contribution of foundation degrees to the CHEP-25 rate increased from 1.9% for the 2001/02 cohort to 3.2% for the 2006/07 cohort, before falling to 1.8% for the 2013/14 cohort.
     
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Level of study

Level of study refers to the first qualification at level 4 or above that the individual was aiming to achieve when they set out in their studies. Study towards qualifications at levels 4 to 8 (opens in new tab) has been included in this section.

Only the years relating to the 15-year-old cohorts from 2004/05 onwards, for which we have complete and consistent breakdowns, have been published. See the methodology note for more information.

  • For the 2013/14 cohort of 15-year-olds who had participated by age 25 in 2023/24, the overall CHEP-25 rate was 50.9%, with those participating at level 6 contributing 42.7 percentage points. This compares to 3.0 percentage points for level 4, 2.7 for level 5, and 2.6 for level 7.
  • Compared to the 2012/13 cohort who had participated by age 25 in 2022/23, CHEP-25 for the 2013/14 cohort increased by 1.0 percentage point for level 6 qualifications and remained the same, at 8.3 percentage points, for all other qualifications.
     

Level 4 and 5 study

Included for the first time in this release, this section covers statistics on study towards qualifications at levels 4 and 5 (opens in new tab).

Levels 4 and 5 include qualifications such as Higher National Certificates, Higher National Diplomas, and foundation degrees.

The latest year of participation data is from the academic year 2023/24.

In this year, for those initially participating in qualifications at levels 4 or 5:

  • the latest cohort we can report participation by age 30 for is the 15-years-olds from 2008/09. For this cohort, CHEP-30 was 7.5%, a decrease of 0.3 percentage points from the 2007/08 cohort, and a decrease of 0.5 percentage points from the 2004/05 cohort.
  • the latest cohort we can report participation by age 25 for is the 15-year-olds from 2013/14. For this cohort, CHEP-25 was 5.7%, a decrease of 0.2 percentage points from the 2012/13 cohort, and a decrease of 1.2 percentage points from the 2004/05 cohort.
  • the latest cohort we can report participation by age 20 for is the 15-year-olds from 2018/19. For this cohort, CHEP-20 was 3.5%, a decrease of 0.1 percentage points from the 2017/18 cohort, and a decrease of 1.5 percentage points from the 2004/05 cohort.
     
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Mode of study

Mode of study refers to whether a student has undertaken full-time or part-time higher education.

Mode of study is less robustly defined for apprenticeships, and so they are not included in this section. See the methodology note for more information.

  • For the 2013/14 cohort of 15-year-olds who had participated by age 25 in 2023/24, the CHEP-25 rate (excluding apprenticeships) was 46.3% for full-time study and 2.6% for part-time study.
  • Compared with the 2012/13 cohort who had participated by age 25 in 2022/23, CHEP-25 (excluding apprenticeships) for the 2013/14 cohort increased by 0.7 percentage points for full-time study and decreased by 0.1 percentage points for part-time study.
  • Overall, part-time study (excluding apprenticeships) by age 25 has fallen by 1.5 percentage points from 4.1% for the 2001/02 cohort.
     
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Methodology

Find out how and why we collect, process and publish these statistics.

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Find out more about the standards we follow to produce these statistics through our Standards for official statistics published by DfE guidance (opens in new tab).

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Contact us

If you have a specific enquiry about Participation measures in higher education statistics and data:

HE Participation and Provider Statistics Team

Email: he.statistics@education.gov.uk
Contact name: Louis Erritt

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