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Our University community is committed to doing all we can to support underrepresented and under-resourced student groups throughout their higher education journey. This work is carried out in lots of different ways across the University and a specific part of this broader work is our Access and Participation Plan (APP). This sets out how we will improve equality of opportunity for underrepresented groups to access, succeed in and progress from higher education. We are currently developing a new plan, which includes identifying those groups that are most likely to face barriers, developing activities to support them, and evaluating our work in this area. 

Find out more below about our APP, how we are improving higher education opportunities for underrepresented groups, and how you can help. 

What is our Access and Participation Plan (APP)? 

The Office for Students is clear that “there is a wider mission for higher education – a civic and moral duty to always seek out […] better ways to ensure that those historically excluded from HE can benefit from it.”  

Our current plan (2021-2025) commits us to spending 30% of additional fee income (i.e. the difference between the basic fee cap (£6,165) and the higher fee cap (£9,250) on Access, Success and Progression activity and financial support for Home undergraduate students. We are currently meeting or exceeding our targets in five out of eight areas, and behind target in three. 

Find our Access and Participation Plan (2020-21 to 2024-25) or read a summary. 

We are still working to this plan whilst developing a new four-year plan. Our new plan will be completed by summer 2024, to start in the 2025/26 academic year.

Our current APP focuses on: 

Access

Increasing the proportion of students from groups that are underrepresented in Higher Education. 

We work with schools and colleges in the region (pre and post 16) and other external partners. This is alongside residential summer schools for year 12s, attainment support activity for secondary school students, university subject masterclasses, and information and guidance activities supporting young people and mature students to make informed choices about their future pathways. 

Success

Tackling gaps in outcomes for specific student groups during their course.  

When we put together the current APP in 2019, our data showed us that there were awarding gaps for Black and Asian students and students with disabilities in relation to ‘good’ degree outcomes (a degree classification of a 1st or 2:1). 

Significant progress has been made, but there is more to do. Addressing awarding gaps involves work across our community and the whole student journey, from welcome and transition to academic support and skills. It involves activities delivered in partnership with students, and not only hearing but acting on the student voice. It involves academics working with the Educational Enhancement team on best practice in inclusive teaching materials, assessment and pedagogies, ensuring reasonable adjustments, decolonising the curriculum and race equity.  

Progression

Ensuring that all students are as likely progress on to highly skilled employment or further study.  

Key to erasing risks to equality of opportunity for progression is the work that academics do, supported by the Careers, Employability and Entrepreneurship (CEE) team, to embed employability into the curriculum. For example, integrating industry challenges and other real-world learning.  

Much of the extra-curricular targeted support is delivered through CEE’s Career Lab Programme. Career Lab is a menu of 800 opportunities for students to build skills, experience and connections. It includes 550 funded work experience opportunities: on-campus research internships, student consultancy to business, in-region in-person internships and online internships with businesses outside the UK (as well as a range of taster opportunities such as insight visits to employer sites, digital accelerators, mentoring and summer schools). Opportunities are prioritised for under-represented groups and stepped by year group. 

Financial Support

We also provide direct financial support to students in the form of bursaries and hardship support. 

How you can help

Your active involvement is crucial in embedding existing and new APP initiatives throughout the University and making a lasting impact in our Sussex community. We invite your insights into how School and department activities can contribute to meeting our ambition. Whether it's addressing awarding gaps in degree outcomes, enhancing employability in the curriculum, supporting students from under-resourced backgrounds or other initiatives, your input is invaluable. We encourage you to share examples of good practice in your School or Division. We would also appreciate your thoughts on the support and information that would be most useful to you in helping us collectively realise our APP targets, and our broader mission to provide academic support for underrepresented student groups.  

Contact APP Programme Manager, Jo McKinney-Green with your thoughts.