UK state schools remain key Oxbridge feeders, data shows

UK state schools sent more pupils to Oxford and Cambridge than ever before, according to exclusive data compiled from university records and government statistics. Hills Road Sixth Form College in Cambridge led the list, with 57 pupils admitted across the two universities last year — 38 to Oxford and 19 to Cambridge.

The data underscore how access to Oxbridge remains concentrated among a relatively small set of state-funded institutions, with top feeders clustered in London and the South East and heavily represented by grammar schools and large sixth form colleges. The dataset omits schools with five entrants or fewer, but the wider pool includes more than 650 state schools and colleges with at least one Oxbridge entrant across the UK. In total, the top 30 list covers 26 England-based schools and the two devolved nations of Wales and Scotland; only one Welsh or Scottish school appears in the interactive table because its numbers were below five for either university. An accompanying interactive tool allows readers to view entrants for any state-funded institution that had more than five pupils, alongside their acceptance rate.

This year’s profile is built from university records and Department for Education data, and it reflects Oxbridge entries for 2024. It also draws on the Good Schools Guide for context and school profiles. The article notes that there were more than 650 state institutions with at least one Oxbridge entrant in 2024, illustrating how Oxbridge success is spread, in small numbers, across a large population of schools. General university entry data used in the profiles is from 2021, the latest available at the time of compilation, with some Welsh and Scottish figures not presented in full due to devolved education data limitations.

Other high-profile feeders include Brampton Manor in Newham, London (Cambridge entrants: 35; Oxford entrants: 19; total Oxbridge: 54), Queen Elizabeth’s School, Barnet (40 to Cambridge, 13 to Oxford; total 53), and Brighton Hove and Sussex Sixth Form College (23 to Cambridge, 25 to Oxford; total 48). The mix also features Peter Symonds College in Winchester (26 to Cambridge, 20 to Oxford; total 46) and Harris Westminster Sixth Form in London (20 to Cambridge, 22 to Oxford; total 42). These schools illustrate the diversity of routes to Oxbridge, spanning large, urban sixth forms, traditional grammar schools and specialist academies.

Among the notable patterns, London and the South East are over-represented in the list, alongside a sizable cohort of grammar schools. Large sixth form colleges are also well-represented, in part because their year groups can be far larger than those at smaller schools, improving the odds of producing multiple Oxbridge entrants. The data note that there can be substantial variation in how universities record entrants, and that some schools with strong results in recent years do not appear if their numbers fall below five in a given year.

Experts cited in the report say the trend reflects broader structural factors in the education system. Melanie Sanderson, managing editor of the Good Schools Guide, notes that rising private-school costs, reinforced by Labour’s VAT on independent school fees, may push more middle-class families toward state education. She cautions that competition has long been intense at the most selective institutions, regardless of funding source, and urges parents to look for schools with inspirational teachers, strong peer groups and an environment that sustains academic drive. “What you want to see in any school is that they can draw the best out of children,” she says, adding that a non-selective state school that regularly places pupils into Oxford and Cambridge “is doing a great job.”

The report emphasizes that while the list highlights success stories, Oxbridge admission remains a small portion of overall intake. For many schools, a handful of entrants each year can reflect a long-running, collaborative effort with could-be academics, robust subject choices and targeted support for Oxbridge applications. The emphasis for families, the edition notes, should be on consistent preparation, strong subject outcomes and a culture that protects students from external influences that might dampen their ambitions.

For readers seeking more complete context, the article points to the interactive map and detailed profiles, which provide individual school statistics, subject strengths and the typical entry requirements for sixth forms. The dataset also includes a note about the limitations of the data, including how many entries are recorded and differences between how Oxbridge and government sources compile admissions figures. The overall takeaway remains that Oxbridge access in the state sector is real and enduring, but highly concentrated among a relatively small cohort of top feeders, with London and the South East at the forefront and with grammar schools continuing to play a pivotal role.