Academic year 2020/21

Widening participation in higher education

Annual statistics on young people's participation in higher education, including their background characteristics.

Release type
Published

Get help by contacting us

If you have a specific enquiry about Widening participation in higher education statistics and data:

Widening participation statistics

Email: HE.statistics@education.gov.uk
Contact name: John Simes

Press office

If you have a media enquiry:

Telephone: 020 7783 8300

Public enquiries

If you have a general enquiry about the Department for Education (DfE) or education:

Phone: 0370 000 2288

Opening times

Monday to Friday from 9.30am to 5.30pm (closed on bank holidays)


Official statistics

These are Official Statistics and have been produced in line with the Code of Practice for Official Statistics (opens in new tab).

This can be broadly interpreted to mean that these statistics are:

  • managed impartially and objectively in the public interest
  • meet identified user needs
  • produced according to sound methods
  • well explained and readily accessible

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).

Our statistical practice is regulated by the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR).

OSR sets the standards of trustworthiness, quality and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics (opens in new tab) that all producers of official statistics should adhere to.

You are welcome to contact us directly with any comments about how we meet these standards. Alternatively, you can contact OSR by emailing regulation@statistics.gov.uk or via the OSR website (opens in new tab).


Pre-release access list

Besides Department for Education (DfE) professional and production staff, the following post holders were given pre-release access up to 24 hours before release.

  • Secretary of State for Education, Private Office
  • Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Skills, Further and Higher Education
  • Special Advisor, Private Office
  • Special Advisor, Private Office
  • Permanent Secretary, Private Office
  • Deputy Permanent Secretary
  • Director General, Skills Group
  • Chief Data Officer and Chief Statistician
  • Deputy Head of Profession for Statistics
  • Director, Post-16 Skills and Strategy
  • Senior Media Officer, Higher Education
  • Media Officer, Higher Education
  • Deputy Director, Widening Participation and Student Experience, Higher Education
  • G6, Widening Participation and Student Experience, Higher Education
  • G6, Widening Participation and Student Experience, Higher Education
  • G7, Widening Participation and Student Experience, Higher Education
  • HEO, Widening Participation and Student Experience, Higher Education
  • Deputy Director, Higher Education Analysis
  • G6, HE Analysis
  • G7, HE Analysis
  • SStO, HE Analysis
  • SStO, HE Analysis
  • HStO, HE Analysis
  • StO, HE Analysis