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IntoUniversity will now enter the Impetus Alumni Network, as we begin a new stage in our relationship.
October 2025
Higher education providers are now in the process of developing their new access and participation plans, to meet regulatory requirements. We worked with one of the universities that took part in the first wave of this work, the University of Bath, to explore how a clearer understanding of their Theory of Change can lead to better programmes and better outcomes for people facing disadvantage. This paper sets out our lessons, both for universities preparing their plans, and for policymakers in the higher education sector.
January 2024
A forums to accelerate fair access and participation for charities delivering frontline work in access to university for disadvantaged groups.
October 2022
Headlines about the declining number of advantaged students going to Oxbridge are distracting from the real state of play in university admissions.
May 2022
Discussing how we can enhance collaboration to support more young people on the path to success, in an event hosting John Blake, Director for Fair Access and Participation.
February 2022
Impetus believes fair access must be at the centre of the sector-wide debate about whether the UK higher education system should move to a system of post-qualification admissions (PQA) system. The access gap between young people who are free school meal eligible and their better-off peers is at its highest since 2007. Yet the two proposals on the table risk massive upheaval that would distract from the biggest barriers to access - like attainment- rather than addressing them.
September 2021
Admissions data key to informing upcoming higher education reforms
July 2021
The negative rhetoric about how so many – oftentimes too many – young people are going into higher education is becoming increasingly common.
February 2021
English and maths are often described as the most important subjects in education, but just how important are they? The ninth report in our Youth Jobs Gap series reveals for the first time the extent to which English and maths GCSEs lead to better outcomes for young people.
April 2020
University policy challenge whack-a-mole: People want a temporary set of student number caps to ensure the university sector survives the loss of international student income. What are the next set of moles that will appear if we take this option?
April 2020
Higher Education is one of the most topical issues in politics, with the UK government’s post-18 education and funding review (the Augur review) due to report back imminently. For the first time, this Youth Jobs Gap report analyses the Longitudinal Educational Outcomes (LEO) data, showing the clearest picture of disadvantaged young people and their access to higher education to date, including differences between different regions in England.
May 2019
The Government’s review of post-18 education and funding is expected to report shortly. It has been widely speculated that the advisory panel led by Philip Augar could recommend sweeping changes, including a cut to tuition fees. Together with the Russell Group and a coalition of social mobility charities, we've released a joint statement on the dangers of a university funding cut.
February 2019
This impact report tells the story of our 11-year partnership with IntoUniversity, totalling nearly £4 million worth of investment team hours, pro bono projects and funding. With our help, IntoUniversity are helping more and more disadvantaged young people – who are half as likely to get a university place than their peers – beat the odds.
November 2018
In 2014, just over half of the pupils The Access Project was working with were from disadvantaged backgrounds and of these, 66% applied to a selective university and 33% got in. By 2017, following four years of partnership with Impetus, over 90% of pupils came from disadvantaged backgrounds and of those, 85% applied to a selective university and 53% got in. This story reveals how they did that.
November 2018
A lot of progress has been made on widening participation in higher education. But this may now be under threat. We need to maintain funding and ensure it is directed to what works – our Director of Public Affairs explains how.
June 2018
With the government’s review of post-18 education ongoing, and most of the debate seemingly centring on tuition fees, we must remember that widening participation work is essential to helping more disadvantaged young people access higher education.
June 2018
The new universities’ regulator Professor Sir Michael Barber prioritised improved access to university in his speech, but how do we deliver access for all regardless of background? In this joint blog, three leading charities, experienced in opening opportunities for disadvantaged young people, provide their assessment.
June 2017
Disadvantaged young people are half as likely to university compared to their better off peers. This briefing explores how universities can help improve school attainment and widen access to university.
December 2016
A report released from TeachFirst today urges universities to spend their funds for widening access on teaching primary school children about university or poorer pupils will miss out. Our CEO, Andy, shares his thoughts on their report.
August 2016
This report reveals the journey of 16-19 year olds through education and training: who they are, how they perform, and where they go. Part of our Life After School campaign.
March 2016