KING Edward VI College is celebrating the success of students who have been offered places at Oxbridge.

Nineteen high performing students have been offered places to study at the top universities of Oxford and Cambridge - 31 per cent of those who applied.

Fewer than 19 per cent who apply nationally receive offers, King Edward's principal Remley Mann said.

Offers have been received for degree courses in mathematics, engineering, medicine, science, classics and English.

Three further students’ applications remain open at Cambridge and they will be considered again in August when results are published, Mrs Mann said.

She added: "This breadth of subjects demonstrates the depth of academic rigour across the curriculum at the college and the diversity of interests amongst our students.

"Students who are considering applying to competitive universities have access to the college’s dedicated Aspire programme, which aims to help students make an informed decision about their futures as well as making them aware of up-to-date university research.

"Students who start on the Aspire programme receive the bespoke support they need to compete with the best in country such as help with their applications, mock interviews and support with admissions tests.

"The college maintains incredibly close links with Oxford and Cambridge, but also has a significant number of staff who are former Oxbridge students who mentor the students through the application process.

"The Aspire programme also supports those students aiming for competitive courses in medicine, veterinary science and dentistry.

"Many students who complete the Aspire programme end up at Imperial, UCL, Warwick, Bristol and almost 100 of our students every year go on to attend the University of Birmingham.

"Once at university, we receive data about our students from the Higher Education Statistics Agency. 94 per cent of students from King Edward’s complete their first year compared to 88 per cent for state sector schools and sixth form colleges.

"88 per cent of our students go on to get first class or upper second-class honours degrees compared to 79 per cent for state schools and sixth form colleges. "We feel this shows that our students, having made the switch to college, develop the resilience to cope in a new setting as well as the strong independent learning skills required to flourish in a university setting."