More diverse than ever before
Nicola Sinclair, Head of Access, Participation and Outreach.
“Sustained improvements in widening participation and the recruitment of state sector students means that our undergraduate population is the most diverse it has ever been.
We have made consistent progress against Office for Students commitments, exceeding access targets relating to socio-economic deprivation, ethnicity and under-representation. Meanwhile we have exceeded our first milestone for state sector recruitment against an ambitious target set by Council.
Among our 2022/23 entrants 25% were first generation into HE, 22% came from low-income households and of those from the Southwest, 45% were from areas of lowest participation in HE, demonstrating the impact of our access work within the region. This has been achieved in the context of the Covid pandemic and the learning loss experienced disproportionally by disadvantaged students and cohort rebalancing which has reduced the number of undergraduate places here at Exeter, making us more selective.
This progress has been achieved thanks to the collaboration, commitment and creativity of colleagues across the University who have helped implement evidence-informed approaches to access and recruitment.
While the figures are encouraging, there is still much more to do and it is sobering to consider that just 6.9% of our students were eligible for free school meals, compared with 18.4% of the school population. The new availability of free school meal data will enable us to consider how we can work to improve outcomes for these students in the future.
Meanwhile, with the regulatory focus firmly on undergraduate home recruitment, work through Success for All has also been considering diversity in postgraduate education at Exeter.”
Nicola Sinclair, Head of Access, Participation and Outreach.
“Sustained improvements in widening participation and the recruitment of state sector students means that our undergraduate population is the most diverse it has ever been.
We have made consistent progress against Office for Students commitments, exceeding access targets relating to socio-economic deprivation, ethnicity and under-representation. Meanwhile we have exceeded our first milestone for state sector recruitment against an ambitious target set by Council.
Among our 2022/23 entrants 25% were first generation into HE, 22% came from low-income households and of those from the Southwest, 45% were from areas of lowest participation in HE, demonstrating the impact of our access work within the region. This has been achieved in the context of the Covid pandemic and the learning loss experienced disproportionally by disadvantaged students and cohort rebalancing which has reduced the number of undergraduate places here at Exeter, making us more selective.
This progress has been achieved thanks to the collaboration, commitment and creativity of colleagues across the University who have helped implement evidence-informed approaches to access and recruitment.
While the figures are encouraging, there is still much more to do and it is sobering to consider that just 6.9% of our students were eligible for free school meals, compared with 18.4% of the school population. The new availability of free school meal data will enable us to consider how we can work to improve outcomes for these students in the future.
Meanwhile, with the regulatory focus firmly on undergraduate home recruitment, work through Success for All has also been considering diversity in postgraduate education at Exeter.”
Supporting diversity through contextual offers
We use contextual offers (COs) to support our work to widen access to Exeter’s transformative education. We make them where a candidate meets one of our eligibility criteria and they result in a reduction of two or three grades compared with the standard published typical offer.
Our goal is to increase the proportion of entrants from the least advantaged backgrounds compared to those from the most, though we are also mindful of the overall volume of contextual entrants and the inclusivity of our community as a whole. Contextual offers also support our goal to increase representation from state sector students and are only available to those applying from a state sector school or college.
We determine the relative level of advantage a candidate may have experienced from the quintile they fall into in terms of the national measure of low participation in HE for the young population (currently called POLAR) and for the Indices of Multiple Deprivation (IMD). In both these measures, quintiles 1&2 represent the least advantaged students with quintiles 4&5 being the most advantaged. We have also, for some time, focused on care leavers and care-experienced students, refugees or those with humanitarian protection and on those applying from one of our own or partner progression schemes such as Exeter Scholars. Participants in these schemes are generally selected on the basis of criteria closely aligned to our own. They undertake substantial amounts of curriculum enrichment and aspiration-raising activity which may include residential experiences at the University. In return, we recognise their commitment through our ‘best’ contextual offer, at three grades below the standard.
For 2024 entry, we have added some further new criteria to our scheme:
- Eligibility based on Free School Meals status. Free School Meals is the measure of disadvantage with the greatest cross-over with low-income: 80% of our low-income entrants were FSM eligible when at school or college. We wanted to add this as it is a very well-understood category with all our key stakeholders, including applicants themselves. However, as FSM overlaps substantially with our existing IMD criterion, it will only add a small number of additional entrants (around 1%) to our model.
- Eligibility based on three of the new questions included in the 2023 UCAS application. These identify carers, estranged students and those with parental responsibility. We do not anticipate large numbers in any of these categories but wanted to include them as there is likely to be cross-over with other WP agendas including care-experience and mature.
- Candidates applying from the SEREN schools network in Wales and the Elephant group partnership covering schools in London, Midlands, North Yorkshire and parts of the South West including Bournemouth. These are all State outreach partnerships with cohorts identified for their potential to progress to HE. We wanted to include them to broaden our geographical reach and to support the recruitment of widening participation students from ethnically diverse backgrounds.
Impact of contextual offers
In 2020, contextual offer holders made up 15.4% of our entrants compared with 27.1% in 2021 and 35.3% in 2022. The scheme has therefore broadened its reach significantly over time. We estimate that the proportion of offers made for 2023 entry will be lower, around 24%, but this reflects a more targeted approach to IMD, focusing on candidate’s individual IMD eligibility rather than that of their school or college.
The last three admissions cycles have been very volatile as a result of the pandemic. With very differently sized entrant cohorts, we have seen a downturn in the absolute numbers of entrants from IMD Q1 and 2. However, the percentage from the neighbourhoods least likely to progress to HE (POLAR Q1&2) remained the same and the percentage of entrants from the least socially and economically advantages areas (IMD Q1&2) actually rose. We also know that those receiving a contextual offer are nearly 3% more likely than others to accept it so they really do work to incentivise a more diverse and inclusive student community for Exeter.
63% of scholars were first generation into HE.
Exeter Scholars continuous improvement
Exeter Scholars is the University’s flagship fair access programme which works with students from under-represented backgrounds from across the UK to help them realise their academic potential and make informed choices about their future.
Supporting around 1,000 pupils annually and with entry points in Years 10 and 12, participation develops subject knowledge and skills, provides first-hand experience of student life, encourages peer support and allows students to work alongside academics from a wide range of disciplines. Fully subsidised, the programme gives pupils an understanding of university life, first-hand experience of a leading university, insight into academic research and its impact on everyday life and in-depth exploration of a specific discipline. Peer networking and skills development to support study and transition to higher education are key components.
The scheme also supports students once they enrol at Exeter with a package of pastoral, financial and practical benefits.
Continuous improvement is at the heart of Exeter Scholars success and in 2021/22 the programme team delivered both in person and virtual pathways for the first time, post pandemic. The introduction of a new completely virtual Scholars’ pathway has meant that students unable to engage with the programme in person can still benefit from the support of the University. The introduction of Personalised Engagement Plans for participants with additional support needs has also allowed Scholars to improve its inclusivity credentials and remove barriers to programme completion from the moment activity begins.
Donor support for the programme also continues grow and the Exeter Scholars Awards programme has now received more than £2.2 million in gifts creating a wide range of named scholarships for Senior Scholars who progress to study at the University.
Award winning success
The innovative and inclusive practice shown through the Exeter Scholars programme was the focus of the award-winning submission to the 2022 UK Social Mobility Awards at which the University won a Silver Award in the University of the Year category.
94% of first graduating cohort achieved a 2:1 or first.
Progression into HE from fair access programmes
Data purchased from UCAS shows that our programme participants are significantly more likely to apply to HE, and in particular, research-led and high tariff providers, than a comparator group matched on similar known demographic characteristics.
In 2022/23 a total of 194 Senior Scholars and programme beneficiaries enrolled at the University of Exeter having taken part in Exeter Scholars, Realising Opportunities or Pathways to Law. Of those students 63% were first generation into higher education and 28% were from Black, Asian and minority ethnicity backgrounds, compared with 25% and 13% of their peers. Once at Exeter, they go on to succeed with 94% of our first graduating cohort achieving a 2:1 or first.
Tommy, Exeter Scholar Student.
“Exeter Scholars is something I would recommend to all those who have the possibility of doing it. I learnt many things that facilitated the process of starting university. After attending both online and in person Exeter Scholars events I felt much more confident and at ease when thinking about starting university.”
of cohorts in 2020/21 were eligible for free school meals.
of cohorts in 2020/21 had household incomes below £25,000.
of cohorts in 2020/21 were from areas of low progression to higher education.
50% of the 245 students enrolled on the Exeter Pathways to Law programmes have enrolled in a leading university.
Pathways to Law
Pathways to Law is jointly managed and funded by The Sutton Trust, and is offered at 11 UK universities including the University of Exeter.
The Pathways to Law at programme at Exeter is an important discipline strand within Exeter Scholars which aims to improve representation in the legal profession and enable students to learn more about studying law, legal careers and obtain first-hand knowledge from practitioners in the field. Academic sessions include topics such as Criminal Law, Sources of Law and The UK Constitution, Negotiation, and Family Law and more specialised research topics such as Artificial Intelligence and the Law, Autonomous Vehicles and the Law, Medical Ethics, Mediation and Law and Business.
Employer engagement is a key part of the programme and students benefit from our strong links with a wide range of law firms and organisations who provide both session support, such as Client Interviewing & Networking and CV Workshop sessions, and localised work experience placements across the South West.
Since its inception at Exeter in 2013, 245 students have been supported on the Exeter Pathways to Law programme with an average of 20% successfully enrolling on a programme at Exeter. 32% of Exeter Pathways to Law students enrol at other Sutton Trust Partner universities whilst 50% have enrolled at a leading university.
With regards to the wider impact of the programme, and over the same 10-year timeframe, 92% of Sutton Trust students went onto Higher Education, with 7% having successfully enrolled at Oxbridge and 62% of students enrolling at another leading university.
Pathways to Law at Exeter has now formally partnered with The Sutton Trust in the delivery of their Pathways to Law Online and Pathways to Banking and Finance Online programmes. This exciting new partnership brings together the University of Exeter, The University of Nottingham and the Sutton Trust with a varied programme of online activities including academic and networking skills, work experience, networking and student life sessions.
Tegan, who is studying at Truro and Penwith College, has also been attending the University of Exeter as an Exeter Scholar since she was 14. She hopes to study law at the University of Exeter from this September.
“Spending so much time here has opened up to me how amazing university life can be. It’s been great meeting students and academics. Coming for this ceremony has really motivated me as I keep on revising and prepare to do exams – I can picture the beautiful campus as I’m working.”
Tegan, Exeter Scholar Student.
of cohorts in 2020/21 were eligible for free school meals.
of cohorts in 2020/21 had household incomes below £25,000.
of cohorts in 2020/21 were from areas of low progression to higher education.
students have engaged with us online from across the UK.
Working with schools and colleges
Our interactions with schools changed fundamentally with the Covid pandemic which presented significant challenges for schools, pupils and carers, and particularly in supporting disadvantaged and under-represented students. These have since evolved into a mixture of online and in person delivery.
We engaged with around 29,000 students from across the UK in schools and colleges, providing information, advice and guidance about their future educational pathways. We also interacted with over 2,500 students on digital platforms, utilising our bespoke Discover University interactive sessions and platform.
Parents and supporters are a main stakeholder group. Over the course of 2021-22, the School and College Engagement team delivered nine online webinars attended by over 192 parents / supporters. Registrations were received from over 154 different schools across the UK.
2500
students joined our interactive outreach sessions.
154
different schools across the UK registered.
Suzy Bell, Access to Higher Education lead, Exeter College.
“It has been a pleasure to work closely with Roisin and Exeter University. MAP sessions have provided our learners with many skills such as help with personal statements, UCAS, study skills, referencing and revising for exams. Furthermore, it has enabled our learners to talk to ambassadors - which they have really appreciated (asking questions about university life, degrees, funding etc). The campus trip was a particular highlight - learners loved the sample lectures e.g. in psychology and nursing and it really motivated them. MAP has given our learners a real insight into Exeter University and University life. Lots of our learners have responded really well to MAP and are applying to study at Exeter University.”
The first year of the ‘Mature Access Pathway’
The University’s Mature Access Pathway is a programme designed to bridge the gap to higher education for mature students.
In collaboration with Exeter College, over 80 Access to Higher Education students were automatically enrolled on the pathway running from September 2022 to July 2023. The pathway sessions are embedded into the course curriculum, delivered at both the University of Exeter campus and at Exeter College.
The Mature Access Pathway gives participants an insight into what studying at university is like and builds on their academic study skills through talks, workshops, online content and on campus experiences.
Participants have opportunities to speak and work with university staff and mature student mentors to ensure they receive all the information, advice and guidance at relevant stages of the applicant cycle to make informed and confident choices about their future. Engendering a sense of belonging has been imperative – which is the extent to which participants feel personally accepted, respected and included by the University.
The pathway has been designed to build the resilience and capacity of participants, to enable them to make a successful transition into undergraduate study at the University of Exeter and to successfully complete their first year of study. We are equipping participants who go on to study at the University of Exeter with the means to access relevant support and the core study skills required to support attainment. We will continue to monitor this as students enrol at the University of Exeter.
The future of the pathway
The pathway will be delivered in Exeter College again next year, in addition to expanding it into Truro and Penwith College. There will also be the introduction of an online version of the pathway in Autumn 2023, for a wider pool of mature students returning to education not through the Access to Higher Education route. We hope this pathway will help towards us achieving and potentially exceeding our Access and Participation Plan target for mature student access, continuation and closing the degree awarding gap for mature students.
students have applied.
students have applied Faculty of Environment, Science and Economy.
students have applied Faculty of of Health and Life Sciences.
students have applied Faculty of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences.
Enhancing our subject specific offering for schools
A key part of the University’s access offering for schools is its subject specific provision and in 2021-22 the Access, Participation and Outreach (APO) team worked in partnership with Department Widening Participation (WP) Academic Leads to review and improve its offering, ensuring it was impactful and reflected the needs of schools and target students.
Captured in a University-wide WP Action Plan the breadth of activities available to participants reflects Faculty research strengths, teaching excellence and cutting-edge facilities.
Work is evaluated against both short and long-term objectives to ensure impact and is grouped within the following activity streams:
- Course Discovery – events and activities delivered with objectives to include improving participants understand of the courses available to study at university and student life.
- Curriculum enrichment and raising attainment – events and activities with content linked to GCSE and/or A level curriculums with objectives to include increasing motivation, increasing confidence and developing skills and knowledge in support of in school studies.
- Careers Insight – events and activities which provide an insight into the role of higher education on different career pathways.
- Application support – events and activities providing skills and knowledge development for students applying to courses which involve interviews and admission tests.
The planning and delivery of activity is a collaborative process with coordination support from APO and content from WP Academic Leads, volunteer academics and PGR students.
Events included:
- Black History Month Activities Week
- Travelling Academic Roadshow
- Interview Skills Preparation Week
- Careers Insight Week
- National Day of Biomechanics run in partnership with Exeter Chief Rugby Club
- Creative Writing workshops
- Children in Care taster days
- Black British History, Literature and Performance Schools Conference...
- ...and many more
Total number of hours contributed to event delivery:
From academic staff.
From paid PGR students.
From volunteer alumni.
From Student Ambassadors.
Steady improvement in state sector recruitment
The University has achieved the first milestone in its progress towards an overall target of 80% of its undergraduate students coming from the state sector by 2027.
In 2021, Council approved a series of recommendations aimed at narrowing the relative gap in access between state and privately educated students at Exeter. With a state intake of 64.5% in 2019/20, Exeter was underperforming relative to both the Russell Group and our location-adjusted benchmark of 80% despite making steady progress in widening participation. In 2022/23, the proportion of state education undergraduate entrants increased to 72.4%, exceeding the interim target, despite a reduction in our undergraduate places overall.
Steady progress has been made through a combination of actions implemented over the last two years to enhance the University’s extensive work with schools and colleges and cyclical recruitment activity. These include:
- Adopting a high ambition approach to state sector recruitment including a stretching target of 80% and including this as an ambition within our 2030 strategy.
- Extending our work with state pupils including investment in new roles to improve our engagement with further education colleges, schools in the Southwest and London. This has resulted in significant strengthening of our relationships with FE colleges and the development of bridging programmes to support the progression and transition of learners into higher education and applications to Exeter.
- Development of an Educational Partnerships programme, extending to 70 schools and colleges, and helping to build strong relationships to encourage growth in application volumes.
- Market research with state sector students showing lack of brand awareness within state sector schools and poor knowledge of contextual offers, particularly amongst those students most likely to benefit, leading to changes in recruitment and communications activity.
- Changes of admissions practice to optimise recruitment from the state sector including tiered offer making and development of our contextual offers policy.
- Improved transparency of contextual offers through targeted communications with schools and colleges and development of an online eligibility checker.
- Development and pilot of foundation years in STEM subjects with the aim of supporting students to develop skills in mathematics to enable them to progress into undergraduate study in subjects such as engineering, maths, natural sciences and physics.
- Creation of Governors’ Network to support university staff participating in school governance.
The key focus now is to address longer term issues relating to market demand and portfolio development and optimising student recruitment activity.
Steady improvement in state sector recruitment
The University has achieved the first milestone in its progress towards an overall target of 80% of its undergraduate students coming from the state sector by 2027.
In 2021, Council approved a series of recommendations aimed at narrowing the relative gap in access between state and privately educated students at Exeter. With a state intake of 64.5% in 2019/20, Exeter was underperforming relative to both the Russell Group and our location-adjusted benchmark of 80% despite making steady progress in widening participation. In 22/23, the proportion of state education undergraduate entrants increased to 72.4%, exceeding the interim target, despite a reduction in our undergraduate places overall.
Steady progress has been made through a combination of actions implemented over the last two years to enhance the University’s extensive work with schools and colleges and cyclical recruitment activity. These include:
- Adopting a high ambition approach to state sector recruitment including a stretching target of 80% and including this as an ambition within our 2030 strategy.
- Extending our work with state pupils including investment in new roles to improve our engagement with further education colleges, schools in the Southwest and London. This has resulted in significant strengthening of our relationships with FE colleges and the development of bridging programmes to support the progression and transition of learners into higher education and applications to Exeter.
- Development of an Educational Partnerships programme, extending to 70 schools and colleges, and helping to build strong relationships to encourage growth in application volumes.
- Market research with state sector students showing lack of brand awareness within state sector schools and poor knowledge of contextual offers, particularly amongst those students most likely to benefit, leading to changes in recruitment and communications activity.
- Changes of admissions practice to optimise recruitment from the state sector including tiered offer making and development of our contextual offers policy.
- Improved transparency of contextual offers through targeted communications with schools and colleges and development of an online eligibility checker.
- Development and pilot of foundation years in STEM subjects with the aim of supporting students to develop skills in mathematics to enable them to progress into undergraduate study in subjects such as engineering, maths, natural sciences and physics.
- Creation of Governors’ Network to support university staff participating in school governance.
The key focus now is to address longer term issues relating to market demand and portfolio development and optimising student recruitment activity.
Steady improvement in state sector recruitment
The University has achieved the first milestone in its progress towards an overall target of 80% of its undergraduate students coming from the state sector by 2027.
In 2021, Council approved a series of recommendations aimed at narrowing the relative gap in access between state and privately educated students at Exeter. With a state intake of 64.5% in 2019/20, Exeter was underperforming relative to both the Russell Group and our location-adjusted benchmark of 80% despite making steady progress in widening participation. In 2022/23, the proportion of state education undergraduate entrants increased to 72.4%, exceeding the interim target, despite a reduction in our undergraduate places overall.
Steady progress has been made through a combination of actions implemented over the last two years to enhance the University’s extensive work with schools and colleges and cyclical recruitment activity. These include:
- Adopting a high ambition approach to state sector recruitment including a stretching target of 80% and including this as an ambition within our 2030 strategy.
- Extending our work with state pupils including investment in new roles to improve our engagement with further education colleges, schools in the Southwest and London. This has resulted in significant strengthening of our relationships with FE colleges and the development of bridging programmes to support the progression and transition of learners into higher education and applications to Exeter.
- Development of an Educational Partnerships programme, extending to 70 schools and colleges, and helping to build strong relationships to encourage growth in application volumes.
- Market research with state sector students showing lack of brand awareness within state sector schools and poor knowledge of contextual offers, particularly amongst those students most likely to benefit, leading to changes in recruitment and communications activity.
- Changes of admissions practice to optimise recruitment from the state sector including tiered offer making and development of our contextual offers policy.
- Improved transparency of contextual offers through targeted communications with schools and colleges and development of an online eligibility checker.
- Development and pilot of foundation years in STEM subjects with the aim of supporting students to develop skills in mathematics to enable them to progress into undergraduate study in subjects such as engineering, maths, natural sciences and physics.
- Creation of Governors’ Network to support university staff participating in school governance.
The key focus now is to address longer term issues relating to market demand and portfolio development and optimising student recruitment activity.
ALUMNUS QUOTE – WHAT THEY DID, WHY GET INVOLVED?