University admission grades should be lowered to help deprived students get into higher education, a report has recommended.

The Commission on Widening Access was announced by Nicola Sturgeon in her early days as First Minister in November 2014. It has reach 34 recommendations which it believes will help widen access to Scottish universities.

Some of the commission's main recommendations include:

The report also sought to address the "particular challenges" felt by those who have been in care. Recommendations for helping students from this particular group gain a place at university included:

The commission has also laid out overall targets for the Scottish Government to meet:

These targets have been set to make sure the Scottish Government stays on course to meet its long-term goals. By 2030 ministers aim to have 20% of university entrants coming from the 20% most deprived backgrounds.

Dame Ruth Silver, who chaired the commission, said: “In this report we identify clear and tangible actions that can be taken by all parts of the system to drive progress.

"The commission has consistently been presented with proposals for bold and creative action and are confident that there is an appetite for radical but realistic change. We also feel that the current policy landscape is conducive to achieving the necessary changes and that this report stands shoulder to shoulder with a whole series of educational and social justice reforms."

Latest figures from the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service highlight that 18-year-olds from Scotland's least deprived communities are four times as likely to go to university than those from the most deprived.