Category: The Access Project
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Third of university students come from the wealthiest backgrounds
Latest data from HESA shows that a third of British university students now come from the wealthiest backgrounds, suggesting a backwards step for social mobility. 31% of undergraduates now come from the highest socio‑economic group, up from 25% in 2021/22. Despite widening participation initiatives, of most concern is the sharp drop in the intake of students with parents working in semi-routine jobs, falling from 13%… Read more
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Sam Davies joins The Access Project as Interim Director
We are delighted to welcome Sam Davies to The Access Project as Interim Director of Fundraising and Communications. Sam joins us with 25 years of experience in business development and fundraising. Sam has held senior fundraising leadership roles at Plan International UK, WWF, and Shelter, and prior to his fundraising career, served as a director… Read more
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Aiming for Oxford – Alisha’s experiences on the Oxbridge Pathway
As part of our programme, The Access Project offers students a wide variety of enrichment opportunities, including our specialised Oxbridge and Healthcare Pathways. These Pathways are designed to support students through the application process towards courses with additional requirements and admissions tests. Applications to Pathways are open during the autumn term to all Year 12… Read more
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Our strategic partnership with ICG: A long term commitment to our students
We are extremely delighted to announce a further three-year strategic partnership with ICG, the global alternative asset manager. This support, as part of ICG’s flagship social mobility programme, will enable us to increase our impact, extending our reach to even greater numbers of under-resourced young people. Anna Searle, CEO at The Access Project, commented: “At… Read more
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Celebrating our Impetus partnership
Ten years ago, The Access Project was a young fledgling charity, passionate about making a difference for pupils from disadvantaged communities. Our mission was clear but the pathway to becoming an impactful organisation was harder to navigate. This is when our friends at Impetus came on board. It was evident that our missions were aligned:… Read more
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Cost of Living and University Choices Report: Our recommendations for protecting young peoples’ futures
The Access Project is today launching its ‘Cost of Living and University Choices’ report, exploring the impact of the cost of living crisis on under-resourced young people. The Access Project is a leading social mobility charity dedicated to supporting under-resourced students in accessing top-third universities. Our new research aims to explore the link between the… Read more
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Bouncing back from health struggles – “The Access Project has helped me gain my confidence back”
Imaani joined The Access Project in 2022, during a crucial time in her life. Having missed three years of school due to ongoing health issues that required frequent hospital stays, Imaani found herself in a challenging situation that put her education in jeopardy. Before joining The Access Project, she was trying to keep up with… Read more
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Cost of Living: Introducing our student researchers
The Access Project is investigating the impact of the cost of living on student prospects. Over the course of 2024, we have explored the strengths and challenges of our programme amidst the backdrop of financial uncertainty, investigating how The Access Project can best support students through the cost of living crisis. In this final blog… Read more
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Impact report 2024: A time for growth
Understanding the impact we are making on the lives of our students is central to our ethos. By analysing our data and the feedback from our students we can show real, positive change which helps to break down educational barriers and improve social mobility in the UK. In our newly published impact report, we share… Read more
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When the student becomes the teacher: Mehmetcan’s journey from tutee to tutor
This Volunteers’ Week, we’re spotlighting Mehmetcan – a former student on The Access Project programme who is now a dedicated volunteer, giving back to young people just like him. Mehmetcan’s first experience with The Access Project came when he was in Year 10. As a student on the programme for four years, Mehmetcan received invaluable… Read more