The children from home-owning Asian families of Indian origin are also one and a half times more likely to go to a prestigious university on the basis of their high achievements in secondary school, the data shows.

The data, procured by The Guardian, also reveals that white, well-off middle class families continue to dominate places at the top universities, despite the millions of pounds spent encouraging the poor and the moderately well-off to apply for university places.

Children from areas that are home to the highest proportion of Asians of Pakistani and Bangladeshi origin are more than twice as likely to go to university than the average British child, the data adds.

The new figures are expected to spark off another debate on elitism of British universities. In recent years, universities such as Bristol have tried to shake off their reputation for elitism.

But the latest research shows that at Bristol University 3 per cent of students come from the poorest quarter of homes, while 54 per cent are from the richest quarter.