White students are the least likely group to make it into a leading university for the third year in a row, according to new data.
Official figures from the Department for Education (DfE) show that by the age of 19, only 11.7 per cent of white students are attending the highest-ranking third of universities.
By comparison, for black students the figure is 12.1 per cent, for those who are mixed race it is 15.5 per cent, and for Asian students it is 18.6 per cent.
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It is believed the underperformance of white students is in part due to British pupils from low-income families being one of the lowest-achieving sub-categories.
For these pupils, only three per cent made it into "high-tariff" universities, which are defined as having the highest entry requirements.
Last week, Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson promised to make raising standards for white, working-class students a priority.
She said the fact that so many were "written off" at school and never reached their potential in exams was a "national disgrace".
PICTURED: Bridget Phillipson speaking with students who have received their A-level results
|PA
Professor of Education at Buckingham University, Alan Smithers, said: "It is striking how well young people from the ethnic minorities do in education in this country.
"Some of those who were born abroad come from countries where if you don't earn, you don't eat.
"They understand the crucial role that education plays in living the good life, whereas young people in this country have grown used to being supported by the state."
Pupils with a migrant background also had a higher rate of entering university than those who were British-born.
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White students are the least likely group to make it into a leading university for the third year in a row (file image)
|PA
Students who did not speak English as a first language had an entry rate of 60.9 per cent, whereas native English-speakers only had a rate of 42.8 per cent.
Professors Smithers said the figures suggested universities were welcoming to ethnic minorities, contradicting claims from campaigners which said they were institutionally racist.
He said: "The myth of university racism comes from the US and has been taken up by sociology departments in this country, which can become training grounds for activists who spend their years on campus seeking out every small sign that can be interpreted as racism."
A spokesman for the DfE said: "This Government is committed to supporting the aspiration of every person who meets the requirements and wants to go to university - regardless of their background.
"We know baked-in inequalities remain in our education system, which is why universities must do more to expand opportunity and improve outcomes for disadvantaged students."
The latest data analysis, which covers 2023/24, includes pupils who attended English state schools, not those in private schools or Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Last month, whistleblowers accused Edinburgh University of discriminating against "non-black students" after a report recommended more scholarships for ethnic minorities.
One such example given by the group Edinburgh Academics 4 Free Speech, was the Andrea Levy Scholarship, in memory of the novelist, which is directed to those of a black African or Caribbean background.
Fiona McClement, the University's Head of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, said: "We want to ensure a welcoming and nurturing environment in which all members of our community feel a sense of belonging, and can flourish and succeed without facing unjust racialised barriers."