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<p>The Prime Minister has a goal of increasing by 20% the number of BME students in
higher education. In our new guidance to the Director of Fair Access, which we published
on 11 February, we ask him to maximise the contribution of Access Agreements towards
this ambition. The share of BME enrolments at UK institutions has already risen from
just over 20% to 23% between 2009/10 and 2014/15. Entry rates for 18 year olds in
each ethnic group increased in 2015, reaching the highest recorded values for each
group. Between 2009 and 2015, the entry rate for young people in the Black ethnic
group increased by over 40 percent proportionally.</p><p> </p><p>Investment by the
higher education sector through Access Agreements is expected to reach £746 million
in 2016/17 up from £404 million in 2009/10.</p><p> </p><p>The Government accepts that
selective institutions already do much to widen participation. We also acknowledge
the work that they already do. Nonetheless, we are convinced that more could and should
be done. In our recent guidance to the Director of Fair Access, <a href="http://www.offa.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/11-02-2016-OFFA-Guidance.pdf"
target="_blank">www.offa.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/11-02-2016-OFFA-Guidance.pdf</a>
we asked him to secure more progress. Institutions must use evidence and good practice
to lever better results and there needs to be more innovation in this area. As the
Director of Fair has also said, ‘it should not be beyond institutions themselves to
find ways of making more progress.’</p>
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