UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON

STRATEGY FOR WIDENING PARTICIPATION 2001-04

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

UCL was founded with an aim to widen participation and it has remained committed to that principle. It is one of four objectives included in its Mission Statement and reflected in the Academic Strategy.

Today, UCL is an internationally renowned institution offering high-quality teaching in a research-intensive environment. The competition for places in many departments is high and, while open to applicants from a wide range of academic backgrounds, UCL’s entry requirements are demanding.

The focus of this widening participation strategy document is on groups currently under-represented nationally: state school/college students; students from socio-economic groups IIIM, IV and V; students from low-participation neighbourhoods; students with disabilities; mature students; ethnic minority students; it also addresses the gender imbalance in subject disciplines.

UCL’s widening participation strategy has three main aims:

  • to raise awareness of higher education among under-represented groups. Activities aimed at achieving this will include inter alia better exploitation of existing theatre and other community links, using UCL’s teaching collections to greater effect, introducing a student ambassador scheme to build upon the existing student tutoring and mentoring networks, and offering Summer Schools and masterclasses
  • to increase the number of students from under-represented groups attending programmes at UCL. Activities will include staff training, school and student-based guidance work on the selection process, targeting these groups for special consideration at the application stage and supplementing the financial support provided by the Opportunity Bursaries scheme
  • to maintain and, if possible, increase the excellent progression and retention rates of under-represented groups at UCL.

The activities will be aimed at a range of audiences including pupils of all ages, teachers and parents. They will be focused in the main, but not exclusively, on nine local Excellence in Cities local authorities and, in particular, the “gifted and talented” strand of students, “beacon” schools and specialist schools. The strategy will extend across the full range of programmes offered by UCL.

UCL’s Vice-Provost (Teaching and Learning) will lead the strategy. Its development, implementation and monitoring will be the responsibility of the Committee for the Recruitment of Students drawing upon the work of other UCL committees and groups and, in particular, the newly-appointed Widening Participation Officer. The strategy will be subject to review on an annual basis.

UCL has serious reservations about the robustness of the HEFCE performance indicators for state schools and colleges, social class and low-participation neighbourhoods. However, as one of a number of means of gauging the success of its activities, UCL has set itself explicit targets. From 2002 onwards, UCL will move towards modified and realistic benchmarks at the rate of 1 to 2% points per year for state schools and colleges, and 0.5% points per year for students from social classes IIIM, IV and V and from low-participation neighbourhoods.

In striving to achieve these targets UCL will seek to ensure equality of treatment of all candidates. UCL will maintain its academic standards, will not introduce policies and procedures that systematically disadvantage particular constituencies and will not compromise its generally good record in the progression and retention of students. Indeed, in accordance with its Teaching and Learning Strategy, UCL will be working to improve student progression and retention.

While UCL is confident that it can achieve the targets indicated, its work and that of other universities must be set in a wider context. If the national widening participation goals are to be achieved, educational standards in many state sector schools and colleges must be raised and the value placed upon education by all groups in British society enhanced.

UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON

STRATEGY FOR WIDENING PARTICIPATION 2001-4

1.Introduction

1.1UCL’s Mission Statement is:

The vision:

Famous for Excellence – in Education and Research

UCL is committed to being as outstanding, liberal, innovative and welcoming in its teaching, and as internationally renowned for its research, in the 21st century as it has been in the 19th and 20th.

UCL intends:

  • To be, and to be acknowledged as, one of the greatest metropolitan universities in the world, serving local, national and international needs.
  • To be, and to be recognised as, a world leader in teaching, scholarship and research across the sciences and arts.
  • To be at the forefront in tackling environmental, communication and healthcare problems.
  • To continue its founders’ pioneering vision by providing educational opportunities of the highest quality to all regardless of background.

Widening participation is, therefore, one of the major goals UCL is striving to achieve.

1.2 UCL’s commitment to widening participation goes back to its foundation in 1826. It was the first university in England to widen the social class (to ‘the middling rich’) from which students were admitted and the first to admit those denied access on religious grounds. Although relatively modest by modern standards, this pioneering attitude eventually led in 1878 to UCL being the first university in England to admit women students on equal terms with men. These, and other, actions (notably the expansion of the range of subjects studied) had a seminal influence on the development of university education in England in the nineteenth century.

1.3This pioneering attitude of openness, built on the Benthamite philosophy of ‘emancipation and enlightenment’, is still a central tenet at UCL. The 2002 Undergraduate Prospectus emphasises this, stating:

‘In line with its cosmopolitan nature and its tradition of widening access to all who can benefit from higher education, UCL is keen to attract applicants from as diverse a range of backgrounds as possible. At UCL, our major interest is in selecting students who will be able to benefit from the academic nature of our degree programmes and the way they are taught and examined, no matter what their background’.

1.4UCL has welcomed, therefore, the discussion surrounding the under-representation in higher education of certain groups in society today and the ways in which this imbalance can be tackled. It is our belief not only that it is important for each individual that their talents are given the opportunity to develop fully, but also that it is essential if the United Kingdom is to be a successful, modern and inclusive society.

1.5Recent funding initiatives from HEFCE have been directed towards encouraging universities to recruit more students from certain under-represented groups, namely:

  • the state sector
  • socio-economic groups IIIM, IV and V
  • low-participation neighbourhoods.

UCL’s own strategic commitment to widen participation as outlined in this document, and the accompanying Action Plan, extends also to:

  • students with disabilities
  • mature students
  • ethnic minority students
  • gender imbalances in different disciplines.

1.6 We are confident that our planned activities based on this strategic document, together with others from similar institutions, will have some impact on the participation rate of students from these under-represented groups in society. It is our belief that the partnerships we have established, and are continuing to establish, with schools and education authorities in the Excellence in Cities (EiC) areas and beyond, will have an impact on the student profile at UCL, through the admission both of students who might have applied to higher education before but not to UCL, and of those who might not have applied to higher education at all. UCL does not, however, operate in a vacuum and at the national level we would like to see more progress on:

  • raising educational expectations and attainment in all schools and colleges that serve more deprived areas to the level achieved at the best state and independent sector institutions;
  • persuading all sections of society that a good education is one of the most important assets an individual can possess.

We feel it is important in maximising the return on the investment being made, that future initiatives by government and its agencies be introduced in a more coherent manner and with a timescale which allows schools and universities enough time to respond properly. Short-term funding especially has serious drawbacks, most notably in the difficulty caused to universities in sustaining initiatives after the termination of funding.

Despite these concerns, we are convinced that the overall aim of bringing state schools and colleges and universities closer together will yield positive results in the medium to long term.

2. Background

2.1 The latest (2000-01) UCL student profile is as follows:

10,897 undergraduates5,953 graduates

The profile of UK-domiciled first-degree undergraduate new entrants at UCL over the last five years is given below:

1996/97 / 1997/98 / 1998/99 / 1999/00 / 2000/01
Number of Entrants / 2,380 / 2,397 / 2,483 / 2,410 / 2,793*
% Female / 50 / 51 / 50 / 51 / 52
% 21 or over on entry / 14 / 12 / 10 / 10 / 11
% Ethnic Minority+ / 29 / 27 / 29 / 31 / 34
% Students with Disability+ / 3 / 3 / 4 / 3 / 3
% State Sector+ / N/A / 62 / 60 / 60 / 61

Notes -

* includes students at SSEES

+ “unknowns” are excluded from percentage calculation

The figures show little change during the five-year period, although some significance may be attached to the growth in female students (continuing a long-term trend) and ethnic minority students, and a decrease in the late nineties, now apparently stabilised, in mature student entry.

2.2UCL is a high-quality institution, able to hold its own in scholarship with the best in the world. It has scored in the very top group of universities in all four Research Assessment Exercises so far undertaken (1986,1989,1992,1996). In the ongoing programme of teaching assessment through the QAA’s Subject Review, it has performed well and again is in the top group of institutions. Indeed in two areas within the Subject Review, Student Support and Guidance and Student Progression and Achievement, UCL has an impressive record with average scores of 3.96 (out of 4) for Student Support and Guidance and 3.81(out of 4) for Student Progression and Achievement in the 22 subject areas so far assessed. 95% of all subject areas at UCL, for which comparative information is available, have achieved a score higher than the national average for Student Support and Guidance with the corresponding figure for Student Progression and Achievement standing at 77%.

2.3UCL is a popular institution for undergraduate applicants and for many departments there are many more well-qualified applicants than available places. Competition for places is keen and this is reflected in the high level of entry standards for school-leavers – for 2000 entry, an average A-level points score of 25.3. However, a wide range of qualifications is accepted and these include ACCESS qualifications, BTEC, HNDs and the various baccalaureates. In line with our widening participation strategy, UCL was keen to provide early and achievable guidance for schools with regard to Curriculum 2000. Our position of asking for good grades in three A-levels plus a pass in a further subject at AS-level was formulated to encourage broadening of the curriculum and pitched so that most state schools would not be put in a disadvantageous position; it has been widely welcomed by schools of all types.

2.4UCL undergraduate students are offered an experience which reflects its outstanding research and scholarship and includes intensive, small-group teaching, with all degree programmes designed to offer opportunities for project-based activities. As stated in the Undergraduate Prospectus:

UCL therefore seeks students who ‘have a commitment to their discipline, who are open-minded and possess a questioning attitude to knowledge, and who are challenging (and fun!) to teach’.

2.5For many years UCL has pursued a policy of admitting students only after interview, and although different weight is placed on the interview by different academic departments, for many the interview plays a crucial role in the selection of students. Departments use the interview to identify qualities, such as motivation and potential, not readily apparent from the application form alone. The commitment of UCL to this time-consuming and labour-intensive process demonstrates the care and seriousness with which UCL views the admission process. There is interview training provided as part of UCL’s staff development and training programme. We recognise that many students from the under-represented groups may lack the self-confidence to do themselves justice at the interview and UCL is working with admissions tutors, schoolteachers and the pupils themselves to overcome this. New methods of selection are also being tried alongside the traditional ones to try to create a more level playing field, for example, where students are given a lecture and asked to write a brief essay as part of the selection process.

2.6UCL takes an holistic approach to student selection, much appreciated by schools and colleges. Together with the small-group teaching and the personal tutorial support available this contributes to the low dropout rates for undergraduates, including those from under-represented groups (see Section 3.2).

  1. The Way Forward

3.1UCL is, however, not complacent and recognises the intrinsic importance of the widening participation agenda. UCL intends to build on what it is already doing by entering into a co-ordinated and planned series of activities which will lead not only to the raising of awareness of higher education among under-represented groups, but also to an increase in the number of students from such groups attending degree programmes at UCL. In all this, however, it is important both to the applicants themselves and to UCL, that students recruited from such backgrounds have an equal chance of succeeding on the degree programmes they enter. UCL’s ethos of ‘teaching in an atmosphere of research’ will not alter nor will we lower academic standards or fundamentally change what we are doing to accommodate any particular constituency. As the Learning and Teaching Strategy states:

‘ The UCL Learning and Teaching Strategy reflects the fact that students who come here to study are offered an experience which reflects the outstanding research quality at UCL. The courses which they follow are developed within a departmental culture based upon leading-edge research; this characterises UCL’s strategic approach to learning and teaching. The strategy is designed to ensure that students benefit to the full from studying at UCL: that is; that they broaden and deepen their knowledge of their chosen subject, acquire research, subject-specific and key skills and gain experience which will equip them for further study or for entry to employment.’

3.2UCL is a cosmopolitan institution attracting students from all over the UK and from

140 other countries besides, and from as wide a range of backgrounds as one will find

in any UK institution. There is strong evidence that those from under-represented groups, as exemplified in the latest HEFCE Performance Indicators*, do as well as others. 92% of such students progress to the second year, the same percentage exactly as students from all neighbourhoods; this is better than the HEFCE benchmark. Similarly, despite the fact that, along with some other institutions, UCL’s continuation figures are depressed by the lack of a summer retake examination (see Section 5.3), they are still generally better than the benchmark, the efficiency rate of 91% is again better than the benchmark of 88%**.

It is UCL’s intention that the good progression and retention of students as evidenced in these figures be maintained, and if possible improved upon, with increased widening participation.

* TableT3 b: Non-continuation following the year of entry of young full-time first-degree entrants from low-participation neighbourhoods.

** Table T5: Projected learning outcomes and efficiencies.

3.3It is also UCL’s intention to move towards the HEFCE Performance Indicator Targets for participation from students, as given in the HEFCE Circular letter 08/01:

Percent from groupHEFCE PI Target

State schools or colleges58 75

Social classes IIIM, IV and V14 18

Low-participation neighbourhoods. 6 9

UCL admits around 2,100 young UK undergraduates each year. If UCL were to meet the benchmarks as currently indicated, in student number terms this would mean recruiting an additional 360 state-school students, 85 from the lower socio-economic groups and about 60 from low-participation neighbourhoods. UCL strives for equity of treatment of candidates and our policy is to look at the innate potential of each individual, and not to institute procedures which could be detrimental to applicants from any particular constituency. UCL is aware, for example, of the sacrifices that some parents from under-represented groups make to send their children to fee-paying schools, and it would indeed be unfortunate if we were to implement policies that disadvantaged these applicants and their families.

3.4UCL is using both its own data and the statistics available from HEFCE and UCAS to assist in the formulation of its widening participation strategy. From analysis of our own preliminary data, there is some evidence, for example, that students from the state sector, with broadly equivalent entry qualifications as those from the independent sector, achieve a higher proportion of first and upper-second class Honours degrees, and we will subject this and other findings to rigorous statistical analysis before proceeding further. Should the case be proved, however, it is likely to inform further departmental admissions policies. Similarly, the percentage of state sector students applying for different degree programmes varies considerably and our strategy will need to address these differential rates of application and acceptance.

3.5Another internally monitored set of statistics is the percentage of undergraduate students who come from ethnic minorities. Although on the surface the figure of 34% in 2000 entrants presented in Section 2.1 looks relatively healthy and is on an upward trend, further examination of the figures show a poor representation from students from Afro-Caribbean origin. This is informing the activities we are undertaking, for example, targeting Afro-Caribbean pupils through a mentoring scheme being run by the UCL Union Afro-Caribbean Society (see Section 7.1).

3.6UCL's Committee for Equal Opportunities receives and monitors data prepared by the Registrar's Division on an annual basis, which covers Student Profile, Student Progression, Student Achievement and the Application Statistics. The data are broken down into student ethnicity, student gender, student age on entry, student disability status and previous institution attended and relate solely to UK-domiciled undergraduate first-degree students. The data and accompanying papers are also received by Academic Committee, and extracts are also presented at individual Faculty Teaching Committees. Where anomalies are perceived in the data, these may also be referred to the Committee for the Recruitment of Students for attention. It is possible that the above analysis may be extended to include additional student characteristics such as social class.