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HAS

Widening participation - Supporting you on the path to university

 No one should think they are 'not the university type' - university is for anyone who wants to go! 

All universities want to attract students from a wide range of backgrounds, and are keen to support anyone who has faced difficulty in education.  All our partner universities offer a range of mentoring schemes and other opportunities to make sure that everyone gets the support they need to make a successful application.

There are a few circumstances which will mean you are eligible for extra support and potentially what is known as a 'contextual offer', where entry requirements are slightly lower than advertised. There is extra support available whilst at university, too. These circumstances could include:

  • You're the first person in your family to attend university
  • You've spent time in local authority care
  • You're from a lower income household
  • You're from an area or school with lower rates of progression to university (you can check your local area here)
  • You have a specific learning difficulty or disability
  • You have refugee status

Check the HAS bulletin to see what support is currently on offer and sign up!

For more information about contextual admissions and the support on offer, see the UCAS web pages. 

"Widening participation schemes attempt to remove barriers and improve access to education, progress within higher education and to improve graduate outcomes and employability."

House of Commons Research Briefing

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It's important to note that each university will have its own policy on which students their widening participation criteria apply to, so it's best to check their websites individually. However, as a guide, the following characteristics might sometimes be included:

  • Students from lower income households
  • Students from areas with low progression rates to higher education
  • Students from schools with low GCSE performance
  • Students who are care leavers
  • Students who are young carers
  • Students who are refugees, asylum seekers or have been granted humanitarian protection
  • Students who have been eligible for free school meals at any point during their secondary schooling
  • Students who are the first in their generation to consider higher education
  • Students who live with a disability
  • Student with learning difficulties
  • Students who are estranged from their families
  • Students who are from underrepresented ethnic backgrounds
  • Students who are from Gypsy, Roma or Traveller communities
  • Students who are from military families

One of the ways to check if you are eligible for additional support or to access events aimed at "Low Participation Neighbourhoods", is by using the postcode checker using data from the office for students to see if you live in one of those Low Participation Neighbourhoods. There are a few postcode checkers online - below is a link to the one used by Nottingham University. This is just one example, and it doesn't necessarily mean you'll qualify for additional support or to access certain events - but it's definitely worth knowing if you live in a low participation area, and then you can look out for any extra support or events based on this. 

Read the information and check your postcode here.

NEACO

If you only engage with one widening participation organisation, make East Anglia-based NEACO who make it their mission "to support target students to make informed decisions about their future – particularly around progression to Higher Education". Check out their website, but here are some examples of the great stuff they offer:  

  • Jargon busting: the world of HE is full of weird words and technical terms... find them all explained here so the jargon doesn't put you off exploring your options. 
  • Resource guide: check out NEACO's resource guide for tips on anything from exploring Post-18 options and perfecting your study skills to exploring apprenticeships and writing CVs.

The Social Mobility Foundation

The SMF's Aspiring Professionals Programme is definitely worth a look - it's designed to open up professions for those with the ability to join them in the future, but without the means or networks to get there. APP gives young people an insight into top professions and offers mentoring by a professional via email, tailored skills sessions and career workshops, University application support and guidance, and internships with top employers. 

Our partners

Each of our HAS scheme partners has schemes and resources available to support students who meet widening participation criteria, and it is always worth checking the websites of any university you are interested in to see what they offer. Just a few examples from our partners:

  • UEA offers the Preparing for Medicine  programme and the 6-year Medicine with a Gateway Year course, both targeted at students from under-represented backgrounds. 
  • The University of Cambridge offers the HE+ scheme to make Cambridge more accessible, as well as the Cambridge Foundation Year - a stepping stone to Cambridge for students who have been prevented from realising their potential due to educational disadvantage or disruption.
  • Oxford's Increasing Access page offers chances like Opportunity Oxford to support offer holders, and the Astrophoria Foundation Year, aimed at increasing access to Oxford for students from under-represented backgrounds.  
  • UCL's Access & Widening Participation area hosts a wealth of opportunities, especially on the Year 12 and 13 Learners page, where you can find information on Summer Schools, Student Shadowing, and opportunities like the Target Medicine Mentoring programme, and links to the Realising Opportunities programme. 
  • The University of Suffolk's widening participation team offer the excellent Access to University section of their website, with a range of opportunities. 
  • Norwich University of the Arts targets much of its outreach at students from disadvantaged backgrounds, so keep an eye out for opportunities. 
  • City College Norwich work in close collaboration with NEACO (see above) to support the access of students from disadvantaged backgrounds. 

The Sutton Trust

The Sutton Trust is a social mobility foundation supporting young people from less advantaged backgrounds to access leading universities and careers: "In partnership with universities and employers, we run engaging programmes that give students practical advice and leave them feeling inspired and more confident about their future. Our programmes are completely free to attend. All costs - including travel, accommodation, food and activities – are paid for by the Trust and our partners."

Visit the Sutton Trust's programmes page to find out more about what's on offer.


"Contextualised offers" are where a university will make a lower entrance grade offer to students who meet specific criteria, in order to support those students in accessing university in the face of their additional challenges. For instance, a university’s typical entry requirements might be ABB at A-Level, but for students who have spent time in local authority care or attended a school with low progression rates to higher education, they might lower the requirements to BCC. You can find out more on the UCAS website. Here are a couple of examples:

  • UEA makes contextual offers for its 6-year Medicine with a Gateway Year course, with grades of BBB for students who meet certain criteria. 
  • UCL makes contextual offers via their Access UCL Scheme, which can lead to students receiving offers up to two grades lower than their standard offer. 
  • The University of York makes contextual offers in a range of ways - explore here.

Remember, these are just examples: explore the websites of any university you are considering to see what they might have available. 


Yes, you can!

Higher Education providers are always very keen to ensure that financial challenges are not a barrier to students accessing HE. Depending on your circumstances, there may be extra help available. Every university will have an area of their website related to bursaries, scholarships, grants and other funding support, so before applying, make sure you search directly on the website of every provider you are considering.


Here's how to find out more: