As the number of university entrants passed 500,000 for the first time this year, the gap between the most advantaged and the most disadvantaged students is at its lowest.

Liberal Democrats put safeguards in place to encourage disadvantaged young people to go to university. Setting the system on a sustainable footing, with the poorest 30% of graduates paying less overall than under the old system.

According to a UCAS report released today, disadvantaged young people are over 10% more likely to enter higher education than they were a year ago.

The Liberal Democrats recognise that we couldn’t deliver our policy on tuition fees. The truth is that both Labour and the Conservatives supported higher fees, so we were unable to carry out our promise without backing from the two parties.

However, we have worked to make sure the system is as fair as possible in order to protect lower earning graduates. No student pays up front and they only pay back once they’re earning over £21,000.

Click here to find out more about tuition fees.