The provisional Higher Education Initial Participation Rate (HEIPR) for 2010-11 was 47 per cent and unchanged from the previous year, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills revealed in a statistical release today.

The BIS release says the figure ¡°marks the first time in recent years that the HEIPR measure hasn¡¯t had a year-on-year increase¡±.

The HEIPR, which measures participation rates among 17- to 30-year-olds from England studying at UK institutions, was the yardstick used by the Labour government to judge progress towards its 50 per cent participation target.

In 2006-07, the participation rate was 42 per cent, and it rose annually to reach 47 per cent in 2009-10.

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The 2010-11 HEIPR covers a year in which there were 10,000 extra places created under the University Modernisation Fund, announced at the tail end of Labour¡¯s time in government.

These extra places are not being repeated in 2012-13, contributing to a decline in the total number of places available.

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With demand from UK students for a university education continuing to outstrip supply, the participation rate could fall in future, it has been suggested.

Pam Tatlow, chief executive of the Million+ group of newer universities, said: ¡°The fact that participation in higher education among 17- to 30-year-olds remained static, compared with 2009-10, was not because of a lack of interest from students but reflects the failure of the government to significantly increase the number of funded student places available.¡±

The BIS data release can be viewed .

john.morgan@tsleducation.com