̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge - access

Vice-Chancellor continues UK tour

ps748 — Mon, 17 Mar 2025 14:52:55 +0000

̽��ֱ��South West of England has one of the country’s lowest levels of student progression into higher education. One of the key objectives of the visit was to engage with pupils and teachers in an area that is conspicuously under-represented in applications and admissions to Cambridge.

First stop was Colyton Grammar School, in east Devon, where Professor Prentice talked to school leaders about the barriers encountered by students from the region wishing to attend university. Joining her were representatives from Downing College, which has a particular connection to the area. They were also joined by Mike Nicholson, the ̽��ֱ��’s Director of Recruitment, Admissions and Participation, and Tom Levinson, Head of Widening Participation and Collaborative Outreach.

̽��ֱ�� ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge and Downing College have partnered with the ̽��ֱ�� of Bristol and the Sutton Trust to support the Colyton Foundation Your Future Story – a programme that aims to support high attaining students from under-resourced backgrounds in the South West to pursue higher education opportunities.

In the evening, the Vice-Chancellor attended a reception in Bristol which was attended by nearly 50 Cambridge alumni, including one who matriculated in 1949.

̽��ֱ��following day the Vice-Chancellor travelled to North Somerset for a visit to Priory Community School, part of an Academy Trust in Worle, near Weston-super-Mare. Mike Nicholson led a school assembly for year 11 students. Later that morning, Xanthe Robertson, Access and Recruitment Officer of Trinity Hall, Cambridge, led assemblies for 1,500 students in Years 7 through to 10.

̽��ֱ��Vice-Chancellor and colleagues were interviewed by members of a student news team named after the journalist Jill Dando, who grew up in Worle. ̽��ֱ��visitors noted that among the school’s notable alumni was Stephen Jenkins, Professor of Physical and Computational Surface Chemistry at Cambridge.

̽��ֱ��next stop was Weston College, a further and higher education College in Weston-super-Mare that provides education and vocational training to students from the age of 14 through to adulthood. There the group met Sixth Form students to hear about their aspirations.

̽��ֱ��final leg of the journey took the Cambridge delegation to St Bede’s Catholic and Sixth Form College in Bristol. ̽��ֱ��school is part of the HE+ network, through which the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge and Colleges work together with schools FE establishments across the country to encourage applications from talented students.

Reflecting on her visit, the Vice-Chancellor said: “Travelling to the South West allowed me to learn more about the region and to understand some of the barriers to aspiration and attainment that prevent bright students from pursuing higher education. ̽��ֱ��students we met were impressive. Their teachers’ commitment to supporting their educational journey is outstanding. I hope that the outreach partnerships between the ̽��ֱ��, the Colleges and local schools will help us attract talented students to Cambridge, and will more generally encourage them to consider going to university.”

This visit to the South West followed the Vice-Chancellor’s trip to Rochdale, Manchester and Liverpool a year ago and her visit to Peterborough in the autumn of 2024.

̽��ֱ��Vice-Chancellor, Professor Deborah Prentice, has led a delegation to Devon, North Somerset and Bristol. It was the first time a serving Cambridge Vice-Chancellor had travelled to the region in an official capacity to engage with local schools and alumni.

̽��ֱ��students we met were impressive

Professor Deborah Prentice

̽��ֱ��text in this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Images, including our videos, are Copyright © ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge and licensors/contributors as identified. All rights reserved. We make our image and video content available in a number of ways – on our main website under its Terms and conditions, and on a range of channels including social media that permit your use and sharing of our content under their respective Terms.

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Outreach effort focuses on North-East

ps748 — Mon, 03 Mar 2025 16:35:38 +0000

More than 160 students from across the region met at the Hancock Museum in Newcastle-upon-Tyne to hear more about the application process and what it’s like to study for a degree at either Cambridge or Oxford.

Presentations focused on the unique elements of a Cambridge and Oxford education, the importance of super-curricular study to university applications, advice on writing personal statements, admissions tests and interview guidance.

Cambridge and Oxford Universities used to jointly host an annual regional conference for would-be applicants but these were disbanded during the Covid pandemic.

This latest roadshow was the brainchild of Elaine Effard, who is Corpus Christi’s North East Access and Outreach Coordinator (based in South Shields) and Richard Petty, Senior Access Officer for North-East England at Oxford.

“We are all passionate about working with students in the North-East of England to make sure that they’re best equipped to make competitive applications to Oxford, Cambridge and other higher education providers. We also strongly believe that increased North-East representation at Oxbridge is a fundamental good,” said Elaine.

outreach1920.jpg

Students attending were full of appreciation for the event.

One said: “I enjoyed hearing the experiences of the students as it gave me a good insight as to what different aspects of the university are like, such as workload, finance and community.”

Another added: “It gave an in-depth view on super-curricular activities that I wouldn’t have accessed otherwise, and a range of options for super curricular activities.”

̽��ֱ��other two Cambridge Colleges present were Jesus and King’s, both of which, like Corpus, have connections with the North-East. Oxford was represented by the Oxford for North East team of colleges, which are Christ Church, Trinity, and St Anne’s.

Corpus Christi is one of three Cambridge Colleges with school liaison officers based in the north of England. Both Queens' and Selwyn Colleges have staff based in Bradford. St Catharine's College also has strong links with North Yorkshire.

Three Cambridge Colleges have teamed up to co-host an outreach event in the North-East of England with the aim of encouraging more applications from students in the area. They were joined by colleagues from Oxford.

We are all passionate about working with students in the North-East of England

Elaine Effard

Outreach officers on steps of museum

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New PhD funding programme launched

ps748 — Mon, 11 Nov 2024 12:17:11 +0000

Trinity College and the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge’s new £48 million programme enabling fully-funded PhDs has been launched.

Becoming a scientist

ps748 — Thu, 29 Aug 2024 11:28:37 +0000

A team of scientists at the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge feature in a new graphic book highlighting their individual journeys into the career of their dreams.

̽��ֱ��Mastercard Foundation class of '23

ps748 — Thu, 03 Aug 2023 09:00:23 +0000

We talk to some of Cambridge's Mastercard Foundation students, who are hoping to change the world.

Expansion of Get In programme aimed at under-represented students

ps748 — Wed, 25 Jan 2023 10:25:15 +0000

Undergraduates receive an annual Get In award to ensure they can make the most out of Cambridge life, and Master’s students receive a Studentship, managed by the Cambridge Trust, to enable them to take up their offer at Cambridge. To date 82 students have received Get In studentships and awards.

Ultimately, Get In aims to support every socio-economically disadvantaged Master’s and undergraduate student from an under-represented ethnic minority background. While there is still some way to go, the expansion of the initiative has enabled many more under-represented students to receive support. Get In has been entirely funded through generous donations from individuals.

Cambridge alumnus Supraj Rajagopalan recently donated £1 million to Get In, the largest contribution to date. His generosity has almost doubled the number of Get In Cambridge recipients from 30 in 2021 to 52 in 2022.

“Get In Cambridge is a fantastic and inspirational programme that I'm pleased to support," he commented. "Its scope of encouraging applications, as well as supporting students when they're here, is key to helping address systemic disadvantage both before and during their Cambridge experience. My Cambridge experience was transformative, and I believe in giving back to benefit future generations. I was exposed to incredible role models across Cambridge, and I believe the Get In programme offers today's students a wide range of role models at all levels — fellow students, College and ̽��ֱ�� leaders, and alumni."

Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Education Professor Bhaskar Vira said:

"We are incredibly grateful for such generosity from donors to Get In Cambridge, which represents a significant contribution to our continued efforts to address the under-representation of ethnic minority communities amongst our student community. Thanks to the support that we have received, we have been able to almost double the number of awards allocated. We are particularly pleased that we have been able to support students who are keen to continue their academic journeys to postgraduate level, with studentships for Master's students, as this is increasingly becoming the 'broken' pipeline in terms of financial support for students who wish to progress to higher degrees."

Of the 52 students who became part of the Get In community this year, 12 are studying for Master’s and 40 are undergraduates. ̽��ֱ��awards have had a transformational effect. Ahmad Hayat, from Newcastle, is studying for a Master’s in Law. He says:

“As a British Pakistani student, I have to admit that I was initially intimidated by the idea of studying at Cambridge. I had always assumed that it was a place for elite members of society and I wasn't sure if I belonged here. However, the Get In Cambridge studentship that I received has helped me to continue my journey through higher education and has given me the opportunity to prove to myself that I am capable of achieving my goals. Financially, it has made the course much more manageable, allowing me to focus on my studies without having to worry about the financial burden. It has also made a significant difference to my experiences in Cambridge as it has allowed me to take advantage of various extracurricular activities that I may not have otherwise been able to do.”

Get In Cambridge launched in 2019 as a targeted outreach and social media campaign to reach potential applicants from under-represented ethnic minority groups. ̽��ֱ��campaigns have reached millions of prospective applicants and won a number of prestigious social media awards. Since 2019, Cambridge has also seen a significant increase of the proportion of students from under-represented backgrounds successfully applying, in no small part due to the financial provision available from Get In Cambridge.

Image shows Bhaskar Vira in conversation with Simon Woolley at a Get In Cambridge reception

‘Get In Cambridge’, a programme that encourages students from under-represented ethnic minority backgrounds to come to Cambridge, has almost doubled in size this year. ̽��ֱ��programme aims to break down barriers around perception and finance through outreach activities and financial support for undergraduates and Master’s students.

Thanks to the support that we have received we have been able to almost double the number of awards allocated

Prof Bhaskar Vira

Chris Loades

Bhaskar Vira attending a Get In reception

̽��ֱ��text in this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Images, including our videos, are Copyright © ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge and licensors/contributors as identified. All rights reserved. We make our image and video content available in a number of ways – as here, on our main website under its Terms and conditions, and on a range of channels including social media that permit your use and sharing of our content under their respective Terms.

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Plan to boost support for care experienced students

ps748 — Tue, 27 Sep 2022 14:59:40 +0000

Earlier this year, the ̽��ֱ�� hosted an event to celebrate the achievements of students with a care background. ̽��ֱ��gathering, at Homerton College, included prospective students turning their thoughts to ̽��ֱ��, their foster carers and current students. ̽��ֱ��carers said they were impressed with the general desire to see young people develop their skills and achieve their potential.

One of those the group heard from was Robert Barker, a care-experienced student currently studying for a degree in Geography at Fitzwilliam College who encouraged younger students to do whatever they set their minds to achieve:

'Students from care-experienced backgrounds really can go on to do the most amazing things, despite challenging circumstances. Ensuring students from these backgrounds can see that people from similar backgrounds can go on to do great things is crucial and programmes such as the Realise Project do this exceptionally well through celebrating the achievements of students from these backgrounds. Being in care presents many challenges and often at times it is difficult to see the future, but the reality is people with a background in Care can and do go into doing amazing things - the sky really is the limit.’

Student Robert Barker

̽��ֱ�� ̽��ֱ�� is a signatory to the Care Leaver Covenant which commits it to providing support for those with experience of the care system and ensuring they don’t miss out on opportunities. It’s also signed the Stand Alone pledge demonstrating a similar commitment to those young people who are either estranged from their families or living independently. There are currently more than 150 undergraduate and postgraduate students at Cambridge who have experience of the care system. Six of the 47 students embarking on the Foundation Year programme this year are also care experienced. Dr Alex Pryce is the Foundation Year Course Director:

“ ̽��ֱ��Cambridge Foundation Year exists to provide a pathway for those whose education has been disrupted or disadvantaged. We know the impact having been in care can have on someone’s educational journey. We are delighted to see 1 in 10 care experienced students in our first cohort and look forward to supporting them - and hopefully many others in the future - to realise their potential at Cambridge.”

̽��ֱ�� ̽��ֱ�� is working towards further accreditation with a NNECL (National Network for the Education of Care Leavers) Quality Mark for the inclusion and success of care experienced students. To achieve this it will have to demonstrate a continuing commitment to the inclusion of care experienced students. Jon Datta is Deputy Head of Widening Participation at the ̽��ֱ��:

“We know that care experienced students are less likely to go to ̽��ֱ�� than other groups and we also know that they have lower continuation rates and outcomes. We are committed to ensuring they thrive while studying here and will be establishing a new role within the Widening Participation team to help improve their participation in ̽��ֱ�� life. We are also setting up an advisory panel for care-experienced and estranged students. This will bring together a group of students to share their experiences and offer suggestions to help the ̽��ֱ�� devise new initiatives to support them.”

In May the annual celebration of Foster Care Fortnight was marked by another event at Homerton College. ̽��ֱ��choice of the College as venue was apposite as its Principal, Lord Woolley, was raised by foster parents. He spoke passionately about his own journey through Higher Education and of his subsequent achievements in life. ‘You’re superheroes without capes’, he told the attendees, stressing the need for those who are care-experienced to ‘drop the impostor syndrome’ and be ambitious about what they wanted to achieve in life.

̽��ֱ�� ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge is increasing its efforts to support students who have a care background or who are estranged from their families. It’s establishing a panel of care experienced students to advise on ways to ensure proper support is available and will be recruiting a team of mentors to help guide new students through their time at Cambridge.

We are committed to ensuring they thrive while studying here

Jon Datta

Group at Homerton

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New group to encourage university applications

ps748 — Tue, 07 Jun 2022 14:19:34 +0000

̽��ֱ��group's first major event was held in May when 25 parents and carers and 25 young people took part in a visit to the ̽��ֱ�� of East Anglia. They toured the campus, met with current students, and took part in training sessions on student finance and university accommodation.

̽��ֱ��trip was the first outing for members of Parent Power Fenland, a new group which aims to tackle educational inequality in the area.

Mrs Nunn, a member of Parent Power Fenland, said: “We found out a lot about university fees, help and other resources…it makes the choice of going [to university] so much easier. Being from the Traveller community, it was nice to see everyone make us welcome and…not feel excluded from stuff or that my child would miss out….thank you Parent Power.”

Parent Power provides training, advice and guidance sessions on accessing university, so parents and carers can secure opportunities for their children. It is targeted at parents who may not feel comfortable navigating the university admissions system, including those who have not been to university themselves.

Parents also take part in community organising training so they can make change in their wider communities and ensure that everyone has a fair chance at success in education and beyond.

Fenland parents have identified a lack of public transport as a key barrier to their children accessing developmental opportunities. During the trip, parents came together to sign a letter to Fenland power holders asking to meet and discuss this issue. Parents Jenny and Karen said: “We didn’t realise and appreciate the effect of a lack of public transport and the correlation it has with the percentage of 18-year-olds who go to university.”

In the UK today, graduates from the most competitive universities are more likely to access professional careers and have higher rates of life satisfaction. On average they will also earn £10,000 more annually than their peers. But access to these life-changing opportunities is not equal.

Parents and carers from Cromwell Community College, Neale-Wade Academy, Sir Harry Smith Community College, and Thomas Clarkson Academy have been invited to take part in the network. These schools are in areas where the percentage of young people who go to university is lower than the national average.

Across the UK, 37% of 18-year-olds went to university in 2020. But, according to POLAR4 data, which is a way of measuring the percentage of young people in local areas who progress to university, that figure drops to 27% in Whittlesey, in Wisbech it is 25%, in March it is 33.%, and in Chatteris it is just 23.2%.

̽��ֱ��Education Endowment Foundation estimates that parental engagement can help children and young people make an average of 4 months’ additional progress in education, with higher impact for students with lower prior attainment and younger students.

Parent Power Fenland, which is co-founded by the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge, is part of a UK-wide network of Parent Power groups coordinated by education charity ̽��ֱ��Brilliant Club. ̽��ֱ��Brilliant Club mobilises the PhD community to support students who are less advantaged to access the most competitive universities and succeed when they get there.

Other Parent Power groups have obtained bespoke open days and transport to the universities of Oxford, Cambridge and Leicester, received training on student finance, and obtained bursary places at private summer schools for their children. ̽��ֱ��programme offers opportunities for parents too. Parent leads from other groups have launched a podcast which covers key topics such as resilience and creative thinking, and some have progressed to higher education themselves.

Each group is unique because it is driven by the parents and carers themselves who decide which activities will benefit their local communities. Parent Power Fenland will meet every six weeks over one year, led by a local PhD researcher trained in community organising by Citizens UK. At the end of the first year there will be a celebration event for parents and their families to celebrate their achievements.

Jon Datta, Deputy Head of Widening Participation at the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge, said:

“We know that parents care about their children and that they have a colossal influence on their future outcomes. However, parents from less advantaged backgrounds often struggle to navigate their child’s complex and daunting educational journey to higher education, particularly if they didn’t go to university themselves or know anyone who did.

“Parent Power Fenland aims to give parents, based in one of the least socially mobile regions in the UK, a say on their children’s futures and involvement in decision-making at critical points in their education. Parent Power works on the basis that each parent is unique, just as every child is an individual, and that we need to work with them as such. Through the project, we highlight what is available to support parents locally and nationally so they can become more knowledgeable and empowered to support their child’s journey to higher education.”

Jimmy Pickering, Head of Communities at ̽��ֱ��Brilliant Club, said:

“Our mission is about supporting students who are less advantaged to access and succeed in university. At ̽��ֱ��Brilliant Club, we know how crucial parents and carers are in their children’s education. Parent Power Fenland is about working with parents and carers so they can support their children to get the opportunities they deserve.”

Sara Basuc, Inclusion Projects Lead for Fenland and East Cambridgeshire Opportunity Area, commented:

“Fenland has been identified as an area of significant disadvantage, meaning children and young people’s chances of doing well in life are particularly low. There are numerous issues facing the area in part caused by its geography, high levels of deprivation, lack of good transport links, digital connectivity that all result in a marked gap in attainment across Fenland.

“By empowering parents and carers, they can influence change that will support not only their child’s future but other children in their community. Parental engagement has a significant and positive impact on children and young people’s learning seeking ways to collaborate and work with parents and carers through Parent Power is a positive way to create change and narrow the gap, improving their life chances.”

̽��ֱ�� ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge has been instrumental in establishing a new group to promote opportunities higher education can offer to parents in the Fenland area of Cambridgeshire.

Through the project, we highlight what is available to support parents locally and nationally

Jon Datta

Chris Loades

Fenland Parent Power group visit to UEA

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