The Access Project
Helping under-resourced young people access top universities for 15 years.
The Access Project
We support students from under-resourced backgrounds to access top universities, through a unique combination of tuition and in-school mentoring. We work with them to make good applications, get the grades and transition to university.
How The Access Project makes a difference
At The Access Project we believe that every young person, regardless of background, should be able to make the most of education. We work with students from disadvantaged backgrounds to unlock their potential by:
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- Placing mentors in schools to work with students so they have the knowledge and support to make strong university applications
- Training tutors to boost grades.
This almost doubles their chances of getting into a top university.
Education in the UK today
In the UK today disadvantaged young people are five times less likely to go to a top university than their more advantaged peers. That means each year 17,500 miss out on a place which their talent warrants, and all the opportunities a top education brings.
The pandemic was particularly hard for disadvantaged students, and many hours of learning were lost. Research has shown that disadvantaged pupils are further behind their peers as a result of learning lost during the COVID-19 pandemic.
This is reflected in GCSE grades. According to the latest government figures, the difference in GCSE attainment between disadvantaged students and their more affluent peers widened in 2021 for the first time in ten years. It is clear that the access gap is expanding…
That’s why our work is so important now.
Our programme increases a student’s chances of getting into a top university
- Students with The Access Project are almost twice as likely as similarly disadvantaged students to attend top universities
- 53% of our students placed at top universities in 2022
- GCSE students with The Access Project make on average half a grade more progress than their peers, in their tutored subjects. That’s equivalent to four months more progress
- The Access Project is committed to working with the teenagers who need us most. This year 92% of our students came from the most disadvantaged backgrounds.
Latest news
The pathway to Cambridge: The Access Project student on her way to a top uni
It’s Freshers’ Week up and down the country and many of our student alumni are using this time to get to know their new university, check out the opportunities on offer and make new, possibly lifelong, friendships. Beril, an alum of The Access Project, sat her A...
Meet The Access Project at your university this semester
Attention students! Looking for a rewarding volunteering opportunity that fits in with your university studies? Look no further. The Access Project is recruiting student volunteers to tutor GCSE and A level students this academic year. By giving just one hour a week,...
Celebrating success and preparing for university
As university students across the country are preparing for the start of term, we talk to two of our alumni who are about to start brand new degree courses in the capital. Looking forward to LSE Laura got a four As in her A levels and is heading to the London...
The whole scheme makes you think about what kind of aspirations you have, and how to be realistic about what you want. Tutoring isn’t just beneficial for your grades, it’s about being aware of your goals so you’re more likely to achieve them.
Chriso, one of our former students who is now studying Law at King’s College London
Chriso, one of our former students who is now studying Law at King’s College London
Get In Touch
Contact info
The Access Project,
First Floor, Canopi-Borough,
7-14 Great Dover Street,
London,
SE1 4YR
020 4513 5999
info@theaccessproject.org.uk
Media enquiries:
line: 020 4513 5999 (available Monday to Friday, 9am to 5:30pm)
media@theaccessproject.org.uk
The Access Project safeguarding line: 020 4513 5999 (available Monday to Friday, 9am to 5:30pm)
NSPCC 24 hour line:
0808 800 5000
Get in touch
Contact info
The Access Project,
First Floor, Canopi-Borough,
7-14 Great Dover Street,
London,
SE1 4YR
020 4513 5999
info@theaccessproject.org.uk
Media enquiries:
line: 020 4513 5999 (available Monday to Friday, 9am to 5:30pm)
media@theaccessproject.org.uk
The Access Project safeguarding line: 020 4513 5999 (available Monday to Friday, 9am to 5:30pm)
NSPCC 24 hour line:
0808 800 5000