This report by the Office for Students (OfS) shows persistent gaps in outcomes for some groups of students and highlights the need for universities and colleges to support students effectively to succeed in higher education.
The data shows the attainment gap between white and black university students appears to be closing but still remains too high. Black students were less likely to graduate with a first or upper-second-class degree than white peers at the vast majority of university and colleges looked at by the Office for Students.
The overall gap in attainment between black and white students, defined as the difference between those obtaining a top degree, was 18.3 percentage points in 2019-20, according to OfS analysis.
Some 68 per cent black of students gained a first or 2:1 degree in the last academic year, compared with 86.6 per cent of white students, the figures showed.
The data showed the attainment gap had reduced from 24.7 percentage points in 2015-16, the OfS said.