Record number of widening participation students join University

In a record-breaking year, over 470 students who benefited from the University’s flagship regional Access to Birmingham (A2B) programme will be welcomed to campus this September, this includes a number of students who participated in the institution’s five-day Academic Enrichment Programme. 

The University of Birmingham was one of the first universities to set up a fair access scheme for local students in 2000 and are proud to be able to offer prospective applicants the support of our Access to Birmingham scheme. We work with over 250 schools and 25,000 pupils each year to raise aspirations and encourage students to make supported and educated decisions about their future in higher education and will continue to ensure that students from a wide variety of social and cultural backgrounds can benefit from a University education.

This news follows an in depth evaluation, announced recently, showing that participation in the Academic Enrichment Programme significantly boosts the chances of year 12 students from less advantaged backgrounds and from non-selective state schools attending a prestigious Russell Group university. 

In addition, the University accepted 297 students through their nationwide contextual offer, a 48% increase on last year. This is an offer scheme that recognises circumstances that might have an impact on overall academic attainment, such as those in care. 

Cathy Gilbert, Director of External Relations at the University of Birmingham said: “We are very proud to welcome our Access to Birmingham students this year, and delighted to see such a record-breaking number joining us. The University of Birmingham is a civic university, and continues to be accessible to all who have the ability and potential to achieve academically and personally. Via Access to Birmingham and the Academic Enrichment Programme, as well as the contextual offer scheme,  we are able to ensure that a wide variety of students are able to achieve a University of Birmingham  degree, and in many cases, they will be the first in their family to do so. I’d like to offer my personal congratulations to all of our new students.”

For more information, please contact Head of Communications and Engagement (Infrastructure) Sally Brooks on (+44) 0121 414 3984.