Access Priority 2: We will evolve our admissions policies to allow fair opportunity to study at Leeds.
Continuation Priority 3: We will support smooth transitions throughout the student journey.
– Access and Student Success Strategy 2025, University of Leeds.
Students from backgrounds that are less represented at university are not only less likely to enter university, but also to finish their course, achieve high grades and go into graduate careers.
The University of Leeds is trying to change this through interconnected programmes supporting students who may otherwise struggle to apply to, enter and succeed at university.
Access to Leeds was the first nationwide higher education (HE) contextual admissions scheme, supporting eligible students with study skills and subject content in their final year in 6th form or college and, potentially, a lower alternative offer to reflect their more challenging circumstances.
When they start study, Access to Leeds students are automatically enrolled onto The Plus Programme. The programme, which is driven and shaped by student voice, works closely with the University’s Schools to offer a package of services that can help students practically, emotionally and financially to achieve their goals throughout their journey at Leeds. In 2019 it won a National Education Opportunities Network award for best widening access initiative.
Applications: Access to Leeds
Over 10,000 students have registered as students at Leeds via Access to Leeds since the scheme began 20 years ago. 62% of students entering Leeds via Access to Leeds in 2022/23 were from the lower POLAR4 quintiles (areas with lower percentages of students progressing into higher education), compared with just 7% from areas with the highest.
“The main benefit was the reduced grade,” says Megan, a 4th year undergraduate student. “It took the pressure off a little bit. And by introducing you to things at university before you start, you can be thinking about it, and then when you hear about it at university, you're not that scared of it.”
Lizzie, a postgraduate student, agrees. “It was really valuable to have a university style assignment marked,” she adds. “The comments were about the style of the essay in relation to academic style, so it was helpful to know how that differed.”
Continuation: the Plus Programme
Data clearly shows that membership in the Plus Programme correlates with consistently stronger continuation rates than the University’s average. Between 2016/17 and 2019/20 94.4% of UK entrants participating in the Plus Programme continued from first to second year, compared to, 93.9% of UK entrants who did not participate in the Plus Programme.
Plus Programme students also have better completion outcomes on average compared to their peers who were not eligible to participate. Analysis of the University’s annual completion rate data found that 94% of Plus Programme students completed their degrees between 2016/17 and 2019/20, compared to 89% of comparable students who were not on the scheme.
What our students say
“I heard about useful things like the Learning Development Team through the Plus Programme, which I found really helpful,” says Megan. “There were lots of workshops, like how to study independently, which were great when you are new to uni life. Having the Plus Programme makes me aware of what is available to me. It makes me more feel like I'm getting the most out of university as there's all these different things that I can sign up to and go to”.
Fostering a sense of community is central to the Plus Programme’s ethos, and engagement with the scheme is good, with some students automatically enrolled and others self-referring. In 2021/22, 137 undergraduate students joined the programme via this route which included 42 estranged students and 6 care experienced students.
“I love my engagement with them,” adds Lizzie, “in the past couple of years I've spoken at their events which has helped with my public speaking skills. And it’s been a really good experience to speak to other students from similar backgrounds and see what their experiences are because, even if they have the same experience as me, it is important to make those connections. It can teach me something.”
To maximise opportunities with students, the Plus Programme commissioned research by external agency Behavioural Insights Team (BIT) to review their communications, with the aim of finding ways to increase engagement with emails and attendance at events and activities. The project identified barriers students were facing and changes the Plus Programme team could make to their communications to help overcome those barriers. The changes resulted in higher proportions of students opening emails and clicking on links and attending events.
“I find the newsletter super useful because they have different sections like careers, socials and experiences and it's all in one place - you don't have to then go looking for it and you can just click straight through,” says Megan.
The Plus Programme continues to grow and has expanded to work with taught postgraduate students at Leeds. Next priorities for the scheme including increasing the number of students from ethnically minoritised backgrounds into postgraduate research and learning from the lived experiences of care-experienced and estranged students.
To find out more about Access to Leeds or the Plus Programme, email the Student Success Team: studentsuccess@leeds.ac.uk.