Fewer Scots students from poorer areas going to university than their English peers
The Scottish Conservatives say it is a "badge of shame"
Scottish students from deprived backgrounds are less likely to get into university than their English counterparts.
Figures obtained by the Scottish Conservatives show 26% of 18 year olds south of the border from less affluent areas would be offered places, compared to just 16% here.
The numbers come from analysis of clearing data from UCAS, and showed English acceptances have grown by 8%, but in Scotland the corresponding increase is 3% less.
Shadow education secretary Liam Kerr said the "widening gap" between the poorest Scottish and English students is a "badge of shame" for SNP ministers.
The government must "urgently rethink" acceptance cap
He added the Scottish Government must urgently rethink the cap on the number of places offered to Scottish students, which can lead to universities turning away youngsters, including those from more deprived backgrounds.
Mr Kerr said: "It is shocking to see that fewer students in Scotland from deprived backgrounds are entering university compared with their counterparts in England.
"Yet again, students' opportunities to further their education appear to rest on a postcode lottery.
"The SNP's arbitrary yet stringent cap on the number of places offered to Scottish students each year means our universities are forced to turn away talented Scottish students.
"postcode lottery"
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: "These statistics are clearly not comparable - the UCAS figures for England cover both universities and colleges, while the Scottish figures only cover universities.
"In recent years, we have seen a record number of Scottish students from deprived areas enrolling in university for the first time, with a recent report from the Commissioner for Fair Access making clear that Scotland continues to set the pace in the UK in terms of fair access to higher education.
"Since we established a Commission on Widening access in 2014, there has been a 41% increase in the number of university students from deprived areas."
Mr Kerr finished: "Scottish Conservatives demand that SNP ministers analyse the factors that are hindering those from more deprived areas going to university and listen to our longstanding calls to lift the cap on the numbers of Scottish students getting into our universities.
"As it stands, things are manifestly unfair for aspiring Scottish students - and that's something we would change urgently."