Higher education - renewing the alliance for fair access: annual report 2024

2. Fair Access in Scotland: A Qualified Celebration

It is important we take stock of what has been achieved in promoting fair access. It is helpful to examine the core evidence base for three dimensions of fair access, all of which pertain to full-time, Scottish-domiciled, first-time degree entrants at 18 of Scotland's HEIs,^[22] with disadvantaged students defined as those living in one of Scotland's 20% Most Deprived Areas:

• Entrants.^[23] The number and proportion of students entering university.
• Retention.^[24] The number and proportion of students who progress to a second year of study.
• Qualifiers.^[25] The number and proportion of students who completed their studies.

Although the CoWA core target only focuses on entrants, the wider fair access agenda pertains to all three metrics. We should acknowledge five achievements, although each is a work-in-progress:

• A sense of collective purpose.
• National progress in numbers.
• Institutional progress in numbers.
• Ecosystem of support.
• Promising interventions.

A sense of collective purpose

The challenge to universities in Scotland to achieve fair access within a generation, set by the First Minister in 2014, had foundations on which to build, with much work already being pursued. For example, the Scottish Widening Access Programme was introduced in 1989^[26] to promote adult access, and the Caledonian Club of Glasgow Caledonian University was introduced in 2008 to strengthen attachment to universities among nursery, primary and secondary school pupils in five under-represented communities in the City of Glasgow.^[27] Government commitments to widen access to higher education in Scotland (UK and Europe) also predate 2014.^[28] However, the challenge that the First Minister set in 2014 to universities in Scotland provided collective purpose and focus to these endeavours, and the establishment of the Commission on Widening Access (announced in March 2015, reporting one year later^[29]) to make recommendations for how this should be pursued facilitated a step-change in approach. As noted in the introduction to this report, the Scottish Government re-affirmed its commitment to fair access in 2023.

National progress in numbers

Shared purpose and national ambition are important, but these are only means to an end. What matters most is that the number and proportion of students from disadvantaged backgrounds accessing higher education is increasing and increasing at a rate that is necessary to achieve the end goal of proportionate participation by 2030. There is much to celebrate:

· Interim 2021 Target. The CoWA Core Target for 2021 (16%) was achieved in advance (2019/20) and has continued to be met/exceeded (2020/21 and 2021/22).

· Record number of entrants from disadvantaged backgrounds. The highest ever number of entrants from Scotland's most deprived areas was achieved in 2021/22 (5,595).

· Steady progress in increasing the number of entrants from deprived backgrounds. The number of CoWA Core Target group entrants has increased in each of the last five years. There has been a 45% increase in the CoWA core target group since 2013-14 (from 3,850 to 5,595 in 2021-22).

On the other hand, there is no room for complacency. If current trends continue, the next CoWA Target (2026) will not be achieved.

· Progress toward the Target has stalled. There has been a net increase in the CoWA Core Target of 0.1 percentage points in the last two years, with a decrease of 0.2 percentage points in the last year (16.4%, 16.7% and 16.5% in the last three years).

Institutional progress in numbers

There is evidence of each Scottish HEI making a positive contribution to achieve fair access:

· Trend in the number of entrants in each Scottish HEI. The number of CoWA core entrants has increased in each Scottish HEI since 2013-14 (e.g., the number of entrants in the University of Aberdeen has increased by a factor of 3.3 – from 45 to 150 in 2021-22).

· Record number of entrants in Scottish HEIs in 2021-22. The majority of Scottish HEIs recorded their highest ever number of entrants in 2021-22. Only six institutions have recorded a higher number of entrants in the past and for five of these (i.e., University of Dundee, Glasgow Caledonian University, Robert Gordon University, Scotland's Rural College, and the University of Strathclyde), their highest ever number of entrants was in the previous year: the highest number of entrants for the University of Stirling was back in 2017-18.

· Proportion of entrants in each Scottish HEI, medium term. In all but three Scottish HEIs, the proportion of CoWA Core Target group entrants has increased since 2013-14 (the only institutions in which the proportion has not increased were Glasgow Caledonian University, Robert Gordon University and Scotland's Rural College, although the small numbers in the latter, render this point insignificant).

Indeed, we can identify ways in which each Scottish HEI has made a positive contribution to advancing fair access (Table 1).

Table 1: Positive contributions to achieving fair access, Scottish HEIs^[30]

Aberdeen, University of

The number of CoWA Core Target entrants has increased by a factor of 3.3 – from 45 in 2013-14 to 150 in 2021-22 (their highest ever number of CoWA Core Target entrants).

Abertay University, Dundee

Recorded their joint-highest ever number of CoWA Core Target entrants in 2021-22 (215, also achieved in 2017-18).

Dundee, University of

Has the highest intake of CoWA Core Target entrants outside the central belt of Scotland.

Edinburgh Napier University

Recorded their highest ever number of CoWA Core Target entrants in 2021-22 (410).

Edinburgh, University of

Recorded their highest ever number of CoWA Core Target entrants in 2021-22 (245).

Glasgow Caledonian University

Has an entrant intake that has exceeded the CoWA Core Target every year since 2013-14.

Glasgow School of Art

Recorded their highest ever number of CoWA Core Target entrants in 2021-22 (75).

Glasgow, The University of

Recorded their highest ever number (605) and proportion (16.7%) of CoWA Core Target entrants in 2021-22.

Heriot-Watt University

Recorded their highest ever number (170) of CoWA Core Target entrants in 2021-22.

Highlands and Islands, University of the

Recorded their highest ever number (85) and proportion (12.1%) of CoWA Core Target entrants in 2021-22.

Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh

Recorded their joint-highest ever number (120) and joint-highest ever proportion (13.8%) of CoWA Core Target entrants in 2021-22.^[31]

Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen

Recorded their highest ever number of CoWA Core Target entrants progressing to Year 2 of study between 2020-21 and 2021-22 (135)^[32].

Royal Conservatoire of Scotland

Recorded their joint-highest ever number (25) of CoWA Core Target entrants in 2021-22.^[33]

Scotland's Rural College

Recorded their highest ever number of CoWA Core Target entrants progressing to Year 2 of study between 2020-21 and 2021-22 (23).^[34]

St Andrews, University of

Recorded their highest ever number (90) and proportion (14.9%) of CoWA Core Target entrants in 2021-22.

Stirling, University of

Recorded their highest ever number (180) and proportion (14.4%) of CoWA Core Target qualifiers in 2021-22.

Strathclyde, University of

Recorded their highest ever number of CoWA Core Target entrants progressing to Year 2 of study between 2020-21 and 2021-22 (618).^[35]

West of Scotland, University of the

Recorded their joint-highest ever number (1240)^[36] and proportion (30.7%) of CoWA Core Target entrants in 2021-22 (from an institution that has exceeded the CoWA Core Target every year since 2013-14).

On the other hand, there is some evidence of ways in which fair access impact could be strengthened:

• Number of entrants in each Scottish HEIs. Between 2020-21 and 2021-22, the number of CoWA core entrants increased in ten Scottish HEIs, remained constant in three HEIs, and decreased in five Scottish HEIs. The greatest reductions in numbers were reported for the University of Strathclyde and Glasgow Caledonian University (fall of 95 in each) and the greatest increase was recorded for the University of Glasgow (increase of 100).
• Proportion of entrants in each Scottish HEIs. Between 2020-21 and 2021-22, the proportion of CoWA core entrants increased in nine Scottish HEIs, was unchanged in one Scottish HEI, and decreased in eight Scottish HEIs. The greatest increase in proportion was reported for the University of St. Andrews (an increase of 4.73 percentage points, from 10.2% to 14.9%) and the greatest decrease was recorded for Scotland's Rural College (although the numbers are small, thus rendering this insignificant).
• Not recording a record proportion of entrants in Scottish HEIs in 2021-22. The majority of Scottish HEIs have recorded a higher proportion of entrants at some point in the recent past. Only five institutions recorded their highest ever proportion of entrants in 2021-22, i.e., University of Glasgow, University of the Highlands and Islands, Queen Margaret University, University of St Andrews, and the University of the West of Scotland.

Furthermore, just as we can identify ways in which each Scottish HEI can be lauded for its contribution to fair access, there are ways in which these contributions could be strengthened (Table 2).

Table 2: Ways in which fair access could be strengthened, Scottish HEIs

Aberdeen, University of

Was one of only three institutions to record a reduction in the both the number and proportion of CoWA Core entrants progressing to year 2 between 2020-21 and 2021-22 (119 and 95.2% to 109 and 94.8%).

Abertay University, Dundee

Had the lowest retention rate in Scotland of CoWA Target entrants between 2020-21 and 2021-22 (77.6%) among those institutions with at least 50 entrants from SIMD20 areas.

Dundee, University of

The number and proportion of CoWA Core Target entrants fell between 2020-21 and 2021-22 (16.4% and 355 entrants to 16% and 335 entrants).

Edinburgh Napier University

Frequently among the institutions with the lowest retention rate of CoWA Core Target students (among the lowest five retention rates in four years from 2015-16 to 2021-22).

Edinburgh, University of

Was one of only three institutions to record a reduction in both the number and proportion of CoWA Core entrants progressing to year 2 between 2020-21 and 2021-22 (179 and 94.2% to 167 and 92.9%).

Glasgow Caledonian University

The proportion of CoWA Core Target entrants in 2021-22 is no higher than it was in 2013-14.

Glasgow School of Art

The proportion of CoWA Core Target entrants was lower in 2021-22 than in 2020-21.

Glasgow, The University of

In the last five years, the number of CoWA Core Target qualifiers has not reached the highest level it set back in 2016-17 (265).

Heriot-Watt University

Consistently among the institutions with the lowest retention rate of CoWA Core Target students (among the lowest five retention rates in the seven years from 2014-15 to 2020-21).

Highlands and Islands, University of the

Consistently among the institutions with the lowest retention rate of CoWA Core Target students (83.3% in 2021-22), and lowest rate in Scotland in 2014-15 and 2020-21.

Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh

Frequently among the institutions with the lowest retention rate of CoWA Core Target students (among the lowest five retention rates in five years from 2013-14 to 2021-22).

Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen

The proportion of CoWA Core Target entrants in 2021-22 is no higher than it was in 2013-14.

Royal Conservatoire of Scotland

Returned the smallest number of CoWA Core Target students progressing to Year 2 of their studies between 2020-21 and 2021-22 (25).

Scotland's Rural College

Notwithstanding a small intake, SRUC was the only institution to have stopped achieving the 10% institutional benchmark in 2021-22 (the CoWA Core Target share falling from 13.5% to 5.1% of students).

St Andrews, University of

Was one of only three institutions to record a reduction in both the number and proportion of CoWA Core entrants progressing to year 2 between 2020-21 and 2021-22 (75 and 95.9% to 65 and 95.3%)

Stirling, University of

It has been four years since it recorded its highest ever number (270) and proportion (15.9%) of CoWA Core Target students (in 2017-18).

Strathclyde, University of

The number of CoWA Core Target students fell by 95 (a fall of 3.9 percentage points) between 2020-21 and 2021-22.

West of Scotland, University of the

Recorded the highest number of CoWA Core Target students not progressing to Year 2 of their studies between 2020-21 and 2021-22 (200).

On balance, positive progress prevails, although if the next CoWA Target (2026) is to be achieved, it is clear that each Scottish HEI could contribute to the uplift that is required.

Ecosystem of support

A complex ecosystem has developed through time to support and shape the fair access agenda in Scotland, some components of which pre-date the national commitment made in 2014. The core elements of this ecosystem will be familiar to most stakeholders.

Within Scottish Government, the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills^[37] has ultimate responsibility for determining policy priorities, supported by the Minister for Higher and Further Education^[38]. Civil service support is provided by the Lifelong Learning and Skills Directorate,^[39] (one of thirty within the Scottish Government), work within which is led by the Student Equalities and Wellbeing team.

Oversight and strategic direction within the Scottish Funding Council is provided by the Skills, Enhancement, Access, and Learning (SEAL) committee^[40] with the Access, Learning and Outcomes directorate^[41] managing SFC work. The Scottish Funding Council funds much of the core work, supporting many of the organisations and initiatives that promote fair access. The National Schools Programme is a now well-established framework comprising four programmes, two of which are multi-component:

• Schools for Higher Education Programme (SHEP) comprising four regional school, college, and university collaborations to work with "targeted pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds to share impartial information, advice, guidance, and support regarding higher education", i.e., ASPIRE North,^[42] LEAPS,^[43] LIFT OFF,^[44] and FOCUS West^[45].
• Access to High Demand Professions (AHDP), comprises two programmes, i.e., Reach^[46] (which is delivered in five universities to students who wish to pursue law, medicine, veterinary medicine, dentistry, or economics) and Access to Creative Education Scotland (ACES)^[47] which is delivered in four HEIs and focuses on degrees related to art, design, and architecture.
• Transitions programme^[48] at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, which "aims to provide funded training for students from disadvantaged communities who wish to pursue the performing or production arts".
• Advanced Higher Hub^[49] at Glasgow Caledonian University, which "offers Senior Phase pupils the opportunity to study Advanced Higher Subjects that are not available at their own schools. The Hub also provides students in an immersive transition experience to introduce prospective students to the opportunities and challenges of student life".

SFC supports the Scottish Wider Access Programme (SWAP), which operates as SWAP West and SWAP East, each of which "works in partnership with colleges and Higher Education Institutions across Scotland to provide routes into Higher Education for adults with few or no qualifications, or whose qualifications are out of date". SWAP Access Programmes are "one-year full-time courses at colleges across Scotland. Successful completion of a SWAP Access Programme can lead to a guaranteed place on a Higher National or degree course at a college or university".

SFC also supports the Scottish Community of Access and Participation Practitioners (SCAPP),^[50] which was formed as part of the Scottish Framework for Fair Access in response to a CoWA recommendation. This aims to "support the development and professionalisation of a strong widening access and participation community in Scotland and by doing this embed, enhance and support effective practice in Scotland".

Working as a collective, Universities Scotland has been a strong supporter of the agenda (and vocal critic of aspects which it considers must be strengthened). Notable contributions to the agenda – in addition to regular comment and communication^[51] – include Working to Widen Access (2019)^[52] (setting out 15 actions by Scottish universities in response to the CoWA report) and Access All Areas^[53] (2013) (a celebration of university-led initiatives to promote fair access). Likewise, Colleges Scotland has been invested in this agenda and makes regular comment on emerging issues.^[54]

Three collectives have been convened to address key aspects of the fair access agenda:

• Access Delivery Group^[55] Now meeting on an ad-hoc basis, the Access Delivery Group brought together representatives of the key organisations involved in promoting fair access to "help the Scottish Government meet its goal of tackling socioeconomic inequality in higher education by leading on the implementation of the recommendations contained in the CoWA report."
• Access Data Short Life Working Group. First convened by the Scottish Government in 2018, this group investigated further measures to identify access students. It was reconvened in 2023, to further examine the prospects for using individual-level indicators, reporting early in 2024.
• Joint Articulation Group.^[56] Co-convened by Universities Scotland and Colleges Scotland to examine issues pertaining to articulation.

Beyond this, the key institutions involved in higher education in Scotland have been proactive in engaging with the Commissioner for Fair Access to convey the importance of their work to the fair access agenda, i.e., Quality Assurance Agency Scotland (QAA),^[57] primarily through the Scottish Higher Education Enhancement Committee (SHEEC),^[58] the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS)^[59] and the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF).^[60] Similarly, proactive engagement with the Commissioner has been sought by those representing school leaders (i.e., School Leaders Scotland^[61] and AHDS^[62]), and staff and students (NUS Scotland^[63] and UCU Scotland^[64]).

In addition to this congested institutional landscape there are a wide range of interest groups that exist to raise awareness and improve conditions for a wide range of student groups, including carers (e.g., Carers Scotland^[65]), disabled students (e.g., Disabling Barriers Scotland^[66]), estranged students (e.g., Stand Alone^[67]), refugees and asylum seekers (e.g., University of Sanctuary^[68]) and minority ethnic groups (e.g., Diversity in the Teaching Profession and Education Workforce sub-group^[69] of the Anti-racism in Education Programme).

Then there are a range of national and local charitable bodies that offer financial support to disadvantaged students, most notably The Robertson Trust (e.g., through their Journey to Success^[70] programme) and the Carnegie Trust for the Universities of Scotland (e.g., through their Undergraduate Tuition Fee grants^[71]). There are also a wide range of smaller Trusts, often localised, that provide financial support, e.g., the Dundee Educational Trust,^[72] the Glasgow Educational and Marshall Trust^[73], and Wheatley Foundation bursaries (for tenants of this social housing provider).^[74] Of this ilk is My Academic Family,^[75] a private company which is described as supporting, "first-generation students in completing their university degrees by providing mentorship and creating supportive environments for first-generation students within universities, thereby unlocking near limitless possibilities to improve their lives and the lives of those around them".

The breadth of activity is testament to the importance of the fair access agenda to a wide range of organisations in Scotland. Understandably, some of these stakeholders may find themselves agitating others for change to advance their cause. More generally, there is a need to reflect on whether this ecosystem is using its resources to best effect to advance progress toward fair access.

Promising interventions

As noted above, Scottish HEIs work closely with the National Schools Programme to facilitate fair access. However, many go beyond these collaborative endeavours to manage their own widening access work in ways that might be relevant to recruitment, but which are not determined by it. Universities Scotland celebrated this work in Access All Areas^[76], a showcase publication in 2013: Table 3 demonstrates that every institution is engaged in this work.

Table 3: Institutional-led activity to widen access, Scottish HEIs

Aberdeen, University of

Offer free accommodation^[77] for the first year of university study to new undergraduate students from a SIMD20 postcode area.

Abertay University, Dundee

AHEAD^[78] is described as "a free university access course which provides you, on successful completion, with a guaranteed place on a range of Abertay University undergraduate degrees", which is for people who have … been out of education for three years or more and don't have the qualifications".

Dundee, University of

The CityCampus project^[79] is described as allowing " … Advanced Highers that cannot be viably delivered within individual schools (in Dundee) to be taught by school staff with school pupils and school materials … at the University. Pupils commute to the University and have access to … many of (the University's) resources".

Edinburgh Napier University

Edinburgh Napier University promotes Students Helping Students^[80] in which widening participation student ambassadors play an important role in supporting potential students by sharing their experiences.

Edinburgh, University of

INTO University^[81] in Craigmillar is described as a new initiative, which provides "after-school academic tuition, mentoring and programmes to enable young people to achieve their ambitions", targeting "children growing up experiencing poverty".

Glasgow Caledonian University

The Caledonian Club^[82] is a long-standing widening participation and community engagement initiative with five school clusters in Glasgow, working to support young people from 3-18 from disadvantaged communities.

Glasgow School of Art

The S4 Creative Club^[83] is described as "a series of online workshops for eligible S4 pupils which takes place on the last Saturday of the month. Participants learn how to make work with a different art material each month, posted to them free of charge before each session. A friendly GSA tutor and student mentor guide the lesson and provide helpful feedback throughout each class."

Glasgow, The University of

INTO University^[84] in Govan and Maryhill is described (as for its partner institution, the University of Edinburgh) as a new initiative, which provides "after-school academic tuition, mentoring and programmes to enable young people to achieve their ambitions", targeting "children growing up experiencing poverty".

Heriot-Watt University

The Heriot-Watt Widening Access Bursary^[85] is a payment of £1000 that is awarded to around 50 students each year and is described as providing "students from widening participation backgrounds who are joining (the University) in September 2024, with extra financial support to help towards living costs."

Highlands and Islands, University of the

UHI reports that^[86] "The range of available mainstream student support is highlighted to widening participation students through targeted emails. These are sent at regular intervals throughout the academic year, highlighting services to targeted students".

Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh

The Enhanced Learning Tutoring Initiative (ELTI)^[87] is described as "a high school tutoring programme … which responds to the "educational challenges faced by disadvantaged and care-experienced young people" providing tutoring sessions to eligibleS4-S6 pupils in East Lothian and Midlothian, with over 300 pupils taking part each year".

Robert Gordon University

Access To^[88] is described as a programme which "offers subject-focused sessions and support sessions, delivered by RGU's academic teaching staff and the Widening Access Team"

Royal Conservatoire of Scotland

Widening Access in the Creative Industries^[89] is described as providing "entry-level short courses, workshops, masterclasses and information and guidance for school pupils in the West of Scotland"

Scotland's Rural College

Offers a comprehensive programme of National Progression Awards^[90] that can be studied as Distance Learning options by pupils in S4, S5 and S6.

St Andrews, University of

First Chances Fife^[91] is described as a "programme which aims to raise the aspirations and achievements of Fife pupils as they progress through their education. The programme works with pupils from P7 to S6 and continues to support them into further and higher education".

Stirling, University of

Offers a wide range of Access courses^[92] to facilitate direct entry to university for those with "few or no formal qualifications and has been out of full-time education for more than three years".

Strathclyde, University of

Young Strathclyder^[93] is described as "a programme of long-term sustained contact and support for pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds throughout their compulsory schooling and is designed to raise awareness of higher education, support attainment, and offer learning opportunities".

West of Scotland, University of the

Foundation Academy^[94] for senior school pupils is described as giving "the opportunity to experience studying at university level, develop academic skills in a specific subject area, and improve the quality of their university application."

Although all Scottish HEIs are currently engaged in independent widening participation work, many of the projects that were showcased in Access All Areas in 2013 have been discontinued, among them, Robokids (Heriot-Watt University), Build a Business in a Day (Edinburgh Napier University), Tayside Space School (Abertay University) and the Children's University (University of Strathclyde). The learning from this work is not readily available, and it is not clear whether these were unsuccessful, partly successful, or successful at the time but no longer necessary.

There is also opportunity for similar projects across Scotland – such as the City Campus project (University of Dundee) and Advanced Higher Hub^[95] (Glasgow Caledonian University) or the Caledonian Club (Glasgow Caledonian University), Young Strathclyder (University of Strathclyde) and First Chances Fife (University of St Andrews) – to promote shared learning and evaluation as these are projects that deliver similar programmes, and which aim to achieve similar outcomes.

Thus, although there are examples of evaluation of university-led interventions,^[96] there is a need for more evaluation, more cross-sector collaboration in evaluation, and more effective ways to share the learning from this evaluation among stakeholders, especially potential adopters.