Widening access and participation
How we support widening access and participation through our products and services.
How we support widening access and participation through our products and services.
We work in partnership with charities and other sector organisations, to provide practical and inspiring information, advice and resources for under-represented groups, as well as producing reports to inform public debate.
We've produced a range of materials to provide you with information to support widening access and participation.
Using applicant and survey data, UCAS publishes high-impact reports offering insight into students’ progression to their next steps, including the barriers and motivations along the way. These reports cover a broad range of issues, including student decision-making, mental health, apprenticeships, LGBT+, and widening participation.
In March 2021, we released our 'Where next' report, which highlighted the impact of qualification and subject choice at school on students’ future pathways, and recommended ways they can be better supported to make fully informed choices at every stage.
Key findings
View the press release and report
Every year, UCAS publishes an end of cycle report, which provides data and narrative reports, helping to describe national trends in applicant behaviour across the four countries of the UK.
Contextual information and data can be used by universities and colleges to assess an applicant’s achievement and potential in light of their educational and socio-economic background. This is called contextualised admissions, and the aim is to form a more complete picture of the characteristics of an individual applicant.
As a teacher or adviser, it’s important to be aware of this practice, so you can give the best advice to your students. Contextualised admissions may encourage aspirational applications to higher education, and can help explain why a student has received a certain offer. It seeks to identify those applicants with the greatest potential to succeed on the course. It is also commonly used to inform support provision at other stages of the application process, and once a student has enrolled.
We’ve produced this
Contextual data factsheet (126.89 KB)
In addition to standard personal details and qualifications information, UCAS also gives applicants the opportunity to declare additional information — such as an impairment, or experience of the care system. We ask these questions to give contextual information to providers, to identify those applicants who may be eligible for additional support – whatever form that may take – i.e. financial or emotional.
The use of contextual information and data in university and college admissions is now widespread, but the way it’s used and the benefits to applicants can vary enormously. To give you an insight into how it’s used and what support is available, we asked four higher education providers how contextualised admissions works in practice.
Courses at Scottish universities and colleges have two sets of entry requirements: standard and minimum.
Both reflect the grades students normally need to achieve by the time they start at the university or college. However, the minimum entry requirements only apply if they are considered to be a ‘widening access’ student.
To identify an applicant’s full potential, universities and colleges look beyond grades. This is part of their commitment to address the current under-representation of certain groups within higher education in Scotland.
Each university and college will have its own policy, so it’s important students check their websites to understand whether they will be considered as a widening access student.
Some examples of students who may be eligible include those who:
It’s important students complete all the relevant fields in their UCAS application, as this is their opportunity to let their chosen university or college(s) know about their circumstances. Their personal statement can be used to highlight any further contextual information which might warrant special consideration. Individual circumstances, or information about your school which may affect performance, can also be added to the reference.
If you are advising someone who may be considered a widening access student, encourage them to check the minimum entry requirements in the UCAS search tool. Also remind them to visit universities and colleges’ websites to confirm whether they are considered a widening access student. If they’re still unsure, they should contact the university or college directly.
Universities and colleges may also consider widening access students for additional support (financial or otherwise), either during the application process, or once they have enrolled.
We've developed toolkits with information and advice to help support under-represented groups applying to higher education.
We work with a range of organisations to provide relevant, expert information and advice to different audiences.
Organisations we have worked with to support students with specific individual needs include:
Become, the charity for young care leavers in England, which provides information about the support available in higher education to care leavers via their Propel website
The Russell Group, which has developed Advancing Access to provide a variety of free CPD resources and online events for teachers and advisers to help them support students' progression to HE
UCAS regularly engages with regulators around the UK, including the Office for Students (OfS) in England, the Higher Education Funding Council Wales (HEFCW), and the Scottish Funding Council. The organisations require universities and colleges to outline their plans to support widening access and participation and success in HE.
UCAS is a member of the following organisations:
UCAS also works with organisations to facilitate the evaluation of the impact of their widening access and participation activities. The Brilliant Club has produced an
The Brilliant Club - UCAS impact evaluation (578.41 KB)