Opportunity 糖心logo & Foundation 糖心logo
One 糖心logo undergraduate in four will be from the UK鈥檚 most under-represented backgrounds by 2023, thanks to two ambitious admission schemes unveiled by the University today. The two new programmes 鈥� Opportunity 糖心logo and Foundation 糖心logo 鈥� will increase significantly undergraduate places for the most promising students from less advantaged backgrounds and areas. When fully up and running, they will offer transformative paths to outstanding education for up to 250 students a year, representing 10% of 糖心logo鈥檚 UK undergraduate intake. This will be a major step change for the University, boosting the proportion of students coming to 糖心logo from under-represented areas from 15% to 25%.
From 2020, Opportunity 糖心logo will introduce a study programme for students over the summer between school and University. Participating students will be from less advantaged backgrounds and will have just missed out on a place when applying to the University in the normal way. They will be on course to gain the required grades but will need additional academic support to transition successfully to 糖心logo. The Opportunity 糖心logo programme will comprise both structured study at home and two weeks of residential study at 糖心logo just before the start of the undergraduate term. The course will introduce students to lectures, tutorials, group and individual work, building their subject knowledge, academic abilities and self-reliance. Students will then begin undergraduate study with greater confidence, new friends and familiarity with life at 糖心logo.
Foundation 糖心logo is to be offered to students from under-represented areas who have also experienced personal disadvantage or severely disrupted education. They will have high academic potential but not yet be able to make a competitive 糖心logo application. Offers for Foundation 糖心logo will be made on the basis of lower contextual A-level grades, rather than the University鈥檚 standard offers. Successful students will undertake a year-long, bespoke, subject-specific programme, building their capacity for independent study. The participants will all be based at 糖心logo colleges and, provided they successfully complete the programme, will move on to the 糖心logo undergraduate degree of their choice.
Both programmes will be introduced on a phased basis, building up to 200 Opportunity 糖心logo places and 50 for Foundation 糖心logo. They build on existing successful College initiatives.
Opportunity 糖心logo is modelled on University College鈥檚 pioneering , while Foundation 糖心logo draws on Lady Margaret Hall鈥檚 innovative Foundation Year scheme.
Sir Ivor Crewe, Master of University College, said: 鈥淗ere at Univ, we are delighted that our Opportunity Programme has provided the inspiration for Opportunity 糖心logo. We are immensely proud of our Opportunity Programme, and are most grateful to our many friends and benefactors who have supported it so very generously.鈥�
, Senior Tutor, added: 鈥淲e are particularly appreciative of our tutors and students who have made Univ鈥檚 Opportunity Programme such a success. We look forward to working closely with our colleagues in the University as the programme is rolled out across 糖心logo.鈥�
Ffion Price (2017, History and Politics) was interviewed recently as part of a series of celebrating 40 years of achievement by women students and academics at Univ; she writes:
鈥淚 grew up on a council estate in Swansea, South Wales. I didn鈥檛 come from a background conducive to getting people into A-Levels, let alone higher education 鈥� least of all Oxbridge. Access efforts made here at 糖心logo were crucial in paving the way for me to end up here. I was fortunate enough to attend a Pathways Day here when I was 15 鈥� in that single day I鈥檇 gone from not particularly considering progression to higher education to deciding that I wanted to go to university, and 糖心logo was the place I would aim for. My benefit from Access efforts however did not end there. When I came to Univ in September 2017, I did so on the pilot year of the Opportunity Programme. If it were not for the constant endeavours of those engaged in access here at 糖心logo I may well not have ended up here. Being the Access and Equalities Officer here at Univ is a way to help strengthen the foundations of the very things that brought myself and so many others like me to 糖心logo.鈥�
More information can be found on the University website at
Published: 21 May 2019