EQUNET is a 3-year project researching the state of equity in Higher Education in Europe. The project aims to create an evidence-based policy advocacy network, so as to promote its conclusions as a way to promote better-informed policy making on equity issues in Europe. This is the first of three annual reports, and gives a general overview of the access to Higher Education in Europe, with comparisons amongst the EU 27 + EEA countries for a number of indicators, including: - entry into Higher Education - equity as defined by socio-economic background - income and expenditure of students in Higher Education - the effect of work on studies. The report also uses this data to make insights on perceptions of equity from European policymakers, consider the validity of different ways of measuring equity and the validity of current policy-initiatives.