Last week, the Commissioner for Fair Access, Professor John H. McKendrick published his first annual report on widening access to HE. In it, he champions an alliance between colleges and universities as a means to achieving the access targets. Colleges and universities have been working closely together on progression routes at both national and regional…
Tag: Widening access
Fair access to university: Commissioner’s report for 2024
Today the Commissioner for Fair Access, Professor John McKendrick has published his independent report Higher education – renewing the alliance for fair access. This is the sixth fair access report commissioned by the Scottish Government. Professor John McKendrick considers how the framework for promoting fair access can be strengthened with twenty recommendations to help achieve…
Widening access success as record number of students enter university
Interim targets on widening access met Increased numbers of widening access, care experienced and disabled students entering university An increase in the proportion of students coming to university from college Universities Scotland has welcomed the release of the Report on Widening Access 2021-22 by the Scottish Funding Council. Commenting on the report, Alastair Sim, Director…
Erasmus+ and the replacement schemes in place across the UK
We were given the opportunity to provide evidence to the Education, Children and Young People Committee on their inquiry into Erasmus+ and the replacement schemes in place across the UK. In our evidence we highlight: Scotland’s students, staff and universities would benefit significantly from the introduction of a two-way mobility scheme in Scotland, that would complement…
Students’ hopes, uncertainties and university support revealed to Minister on visit to Queen Margaret University
Students attending universities from across Edinburgh met the Minister for Higher and Further Education; and Minister for Veterans, Graeme Dey MSP, to share the range of challenges and opportunities they face as undergraduates, in a visit to Queen Margaret University Edinburgh on Thursday 20 April. Universities across Scotland offer active support to their students in…
Response to the Scottish Government’s consultation on post-school education, research and skills: interim purpose and principles
We have welcomed the opportunity to respond to the Scottish Government’s post-school education, research and skills: interim purpose and principles exercise. We have engaged with the Scottish Government during the consultation phase, which closed on 24 March 2023, culminating in our formal response to their draft.
Universities Scotland welcome appointment of new Commissioner for Fair Access
Responding to today’s Scottish Government announcement of Professor John McKendrick as the new Commissioner for Fair Access to Higher Education in Scotland, David Lott, Deputy Director of Universities Scotland said: “We welcome the appointment of John McKendrick as Commissioner for Fair Access. We look forward to Professor McKendrick building on the university sector’s achievements in…
University dedication to widening access continues to reap results
We are welcoming new figures that show more people from disadvantaged areas in Scotland are applying and being accepted into university. The figures come from UK’s shared admissions service for higher education, UCAS, who have released its data resources for the end of the 2022 application cycle. The figures show that the number of applications…
Universities Scotland’s response to the National Discussion survey
Universities Scotland have submitted their response to the survey for the National Discussion on the future of education in Scotland. Learners in the future will need an education that addresses future environmental, digital, global, economic challenges and acquire the knowledge and skills to thrive. We also need to ensure no one is left behind. Our…
Scotland’s universities lead the way in widening access to students with care experience
A new report into the educational experience of students with a care background has hailed the progressive approach taken by Scotland’s universities in committing to a care experience guarantee in 2019, highlighting the positive impact it has already had on this group of students. The report, Next Steps: What is the Experience of Students from…