University partners

By partnering with The Access Project, your university can support students from disadvantaged backgrounds to raise their attainment and ability to apply to some of the country’s leading institutions.

You can also inspire talented young minds by giving your graduates, staff and alumni the chance to gain key skills whilst contributing to your widening participation aims, as tutors on our respected programme.

The Access Project is always looking to collaborate with universities on shared priorities to improve attainment and close the access gap for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds.

 

The Access Project students on trip to Magdalen College, University of Oxford

University partners

By partnering with The Access Project, your university can support students from disadvantaged backgrounds to raise their attainment and ability to apply to some of the country’s leading institutions.

You can also inspire talented young minds by giving your graduates, staff and alumni the chance to gain key skills whilst contributing to your widening participation aims, as tutors on our respected programme.

The Access Project is always looking to collaborate with universities on shared priorities to improve attainment and close the access gap for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds.

The Access Project enables us to build a connection with a school located somewhere that we’d otherwise struggle to get into. Our students predominantly come from London and the South East – so our partnership with Wood Green Academy helps us to tackle that.

Julien Boast, Access, Participation and Student Success Manager at SOAS

Why partner with us?

  • We provide a direct link with schools and young people through our four-year programme of tuition and mentoring. Our in-school mentors will work closely with you
  • We can help you reach your target cohort of students. In 2022, 92% of our students came from disadvantaged areas and 55% were eligible for Pupil Premium
  • Our programme has a strong impact on raising attainment – particularly at GCSE level (6.7 more points overall and 0.65 of a grade in tutored subject) but also on A levels (0.83 of a grade higher)
  • Your partnership will support us in raising the attainment of our students. We can provide you with the data to demonstrate the impact that your partnership has on the schools and young people you support
  • Support for your students, staff and alumni to volunteer on our programme – a fantastic personal and professional development opportunity for them that also helps to widen your impact on our young people
  • Communicating our partnership on our website and social media channels – approximately 120,000 visits per year.

%

of our students applied to a top university, versus 58% of young people from similar backgrounds who we do not support

Our programme has a strong impact on raising attainment – particularly at GCSE level (6.7 more points overall in tutored subject)

Featured partner: Magdalen College, University of Oxford

Olivia Webster, Senior Outreach and Access Officer at Magdalen College, University of Oxford, speaks to us about the benefits of partnering with The Access Project.

Two The Access Project students on a trip to Magdalen College, University of Oxford

What partnerships do we offer?

  • School partnerships
    Partner with us to deliver our programme to students in schools with a cohort aligned to your widening participation goals
  • Volunteering partnerships
    We will work with you to recruit volunteer undergraduate, postgraduate, alumni and staff tutors to help disadvantaged young people to secure places at top universities. We will aim to place these tutors in particular schools or areas that align with your own access goals
  • Trips partnerships
    Become a regular host university for our Year 10 or Year 12 annual trips.
Our current partners

School partners

  • The Queen’s College – supporting four new schools in the North West
  • Imperial College London – Moseley School and Sixth Form and Ormiston Forge Academy
  • Keble College, University of Oxford – Waverley School and Colmers School and Sixth Form
  • Magdalen College, University of Oxford – Ashfield School
  • SOAS, University of London – Wood Green Academy
  • UCL – Holte School

Volunteering partners

  • Queen Mary, University of London

Additional supporters

  • Newnham College, University of Cambridge
  • St Catharine’s College, University of Cambridge

Latest updates

    Contact information

    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