This field records information about whether an entrant's parents have higher education qualifications.

All entrants to institutions in England and Scotland where EntryProfile.DOMICILE = XF, XG, XH, XI, XK, XL, GG, JE or IM and Course.COURSEAIM = M22, M26, H00, H11, H16, H18, H22, H23, I00, I11, I16, J10, J16, J20, J26, J30, C20, C30 and Instance.REDUCEDI = 00 or 04 and Instance.COMDATE is after 2007-07-31.

All entrants to institutions in Wales and Northern Ireland where EntryProfile.DOMICILE = XF, XG, XH, XI, XK, XL, GG, JE or IM and Course.COURSEAIM = M22, M26, H00, H11, H16, H18, H22, H23, I00, I11, I16, J10, J16, J20, J26, J30, C20 or C30 and Instance.COMDATE is after 2008-07-31 and Instance.REDUCEDI = 00 or 04 and EntryProfile.UCASAPPID exists.

This data will allow monitoring of another aspect of widening participation and may be used for the production of performance indicators.

Institutions should ask the following question of all entrants for whom this information is required:

The following question is about your parents' level of education. This includes natural parents, adoptive parents, step-parents or guardians who have brought you up.

Do any of your parents (as defined above) have any higher education qualifications, such as a degree, diploma or certificate of higher education?

• Yes
• No
• Don't know
• Information refused

Provision of this information does not constitute the disclosure of third party personal information as defined in the Data Protection Act 1998. This is because the question does not relate to a specific person.

From 2008/09 onwards this question will be asked on the UCAS application form and the data for UCAS entrants provided to institutions by UCAS. As a consequence coverage of the field has been extended in 2008/09 to include UCAS entrants to institutions in Wales and Northern Ireland. Institutions in England and Scotland will still need to collect this information directly from relevant non-UCAS entrants.