Oxbridge Release Figures on Proportions of State School vs Independent School Entrants. (October 1, 2012)

Oxford and Cambridge Universities have different methodologies as to what proportions of their student intake will come from state schools versus independent institutions.

In the case of Oxford the university has fixed on an intake of ~55% undergraduates based on Socio-economic status, i.e. as The Times reports: "candidates from poor postcode areas, with a low family income or from schools with low progression to selective universities."

In the case of the University of Cambridge last year 58% (1501) came from state schools, 42% (1087) from independent institutions, while this year's breakdown showed an increase of just over 5% derived from state schools: 63.3% (1540) verses 46.7% (892) from independent schools.

According to The Times, Cambridge: "angered many heads and governors of independent schools by setting itself a target of increasing the proportion of its undergraduates who went to state schools to between 61 and 63 per cent, which it met comfortably this year."

Cambridge's director of admissions, Dr Mike Sewell said that teachers at state schools have worked to note and then encourage their bright students to apply to Cambridge.