STUDENTS from affluent neighbourhoods are still up to six times more likely to go into higher education than those from poorer areas, a study has concluded.

The five-year study by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) said there was a deep and persistent divide between rich and poor, despite Government attempts to try to widen access to universities.

It said there was no evidence that replacing student grants with loans and introducing tuition fees had any impact on the number of young people going to university.

The HEFCE looked at participation rates among students aged 18 and 19 in every council ward in the UK from 1994 to 2000.

The North-East generally fared poorly in comparison with other parts of the UK, with only 24 per cent of the region's young people heading into higher education in 2000 compared with, for example, 36 per cent in London.

A number of North-East parliamentary constituencies are featured in the bottom 50, ranked according to the proportion of young people entering higher education.

These are Tyne Bridge (12 per cent), Easington (15 per cent), Sunderland North (16 per cent) and Middlesbrough (17 per cent).

The top 50 constituencies included Hexham, in Northumberland (49 per cent).

Other constituencies with a high proportion of higher education entrants among young people are Richmond, North Yorkshire (42 per cent) and the Vale of York (40 per cent).

HEFCE chief executive Sir Howard Newby said: "This report highlights just how entrenched the divisions are between advantaged and disadvantaged areas.

"It reveals the extent of the challenge facing society and the whole educational system if we are to make real inroads in improving participation rates for young people from poorer backgrounds so that a greater proportion can benefit from higher education."

Record numbers of students are now going into higher education with the total passing the million mark in 2003/2004.