Universities Scotland has responded to Scottish Funding Council’s consultation on the Report on Widening Access.  Our submission can be summarised around three main points:

• Strong value placed on the RoWA, with calls for clarity and better usability. We emphasised that the Report on Widening Access is a trusted, sector wide dataset that institutions use extensively for strategic planning and governance, particularly because of its long-term trend data and Scottish specific disaggregation. At the same time, we highlighted practical issues with navigation, transparency about changes between editions, and the need for clearer explanations, caveats and consistent publication dates to support responsible interpretation.
• Support for enhanced disaggregation and broader coverage, with appropriate caution. We supported proposals to improve disaggregation (including by SIMD decile and other widening access groups), expand reporting to part time students and wider undergraduate populations, and explore rurality and intersectionality. However, we stressed the importance of proportionality, data quality, small number caveats, and methodological stability, particularly where indicators are less well established or not consistently defined across institutions.
• Concern about the visibility of articulation and recognition of non-linear student journeys. We raised concerns about removing articulation data from the RoWA, noting its importance as a core fair access pathway and the risk of reduced visibility if reported separately. More broadly, we encouraged SFC to ensure the RoWA better reflects flexible and non-linear learner journeys, including positive early exits, varied progression patterns, and articulation outcomes, so that success is not defined too narrowly.

You can read our full response here.