Evidence toolkit

Our toolkit summarises the existing evidence on approaches to widening participation and student success for disadvantaged and underrepresented groups. The evidence is presented by types of interventions.

Click through for detail on the efficacy and evidence of interventions.
Find out how approaches have been categorised on our ratings page.
We’ll be updating our toolkit as new evidence is produced. If you have evidence to share, please get in touch.

Order by:

Summer schools

Summer schools are a form of outreach comprising a range of activities organised during the summer holidays, including workshops, taster sessions and social activities. Summer schools often take place on campus but can also be delivered online.
- Attainment raising (pre-entry)
- Belonging in HE (pre-entry)
- Progression to ‘high tariff’ institution
- Progression to HE
- Progression to own institution
- Skills development
- Social / cultural capital
- Pre-entry to HE
- Cost
  
  High cost
- Impact on aspirations / attitudes
  
  Small positive impact
- Impact on behaviour / outcomes
  
  More evidence needed
- Strength of evidence
  
  Emerging evidence
Financial support (pre-entry)

Financial support includes grants, bursaries, scholarships and fee-waivers. When offered to prospective students, financial support is designed to help overcome the perceived or actual cost of applying and/or going to higher education.
- Progression to ‘high tariff’ institution
- Progression to HE
- Progression to own institution
- Pre-entry to HE
- Cost
  
  High cost
- Impact on aspirations / attitudes
  
  Small positive impact
- Impact on behaviour / outcomes
  
  Small positive impact
- Strength of evidence
  
  Emerging evidence
Financial support (post-entry)

Financial support includes grants, bursaries, scholarships and fee-waivers. When offered after entry to higher education, it is designed to help students succeed on-course by alleviating the financial costs of studying.
- Completion
- Progression to own institution
- Wellbeing
- Post-entry to HE
- Cost
  
  High cost
- Impact on aspirations / attitudes
  
  Small positive impact
- Impact on behaviour / outcomes
  
  Small positive impact
- Strength of evidence
  
  Emerging evidence
Mentoring, counselling, coaching and role models (pre-entry)

Mentoring, counselling and role model interventions are designed to encourage students to perceive higher education as a desirable destination and a place where they would belong.
- Attainment raising (pre-entry)
- Belonging in HE (pre-entry)
- Progression to ‘high tariff’ institution
- Progression to HE
- Progression to own institution
- Social / cultural capital
- Pre-entry to HE
- Cost
  
  Medium cost
- Impact on aspirations / attitudes
  
  Small positive impact
- Impact on behaviour / outcomes
  
  More evidence needed
- Strength of evidence
  
  Emerging evidence
Mentoring, counselling, coaching and role models (post-entry)

Mentoring, counselling, coaching and advising all involve a relationship between two individuals where a more experienced person provides support to a less experienced individual.
- Attainment raising (post-entry)
- Belonging in HE (post-entry)
- Completion
- Progression to employment
- Progression to PG study
- Retention
- Social / cultural capital
- Wellbeing
- Post-entry to HE
- Cost
  
  Medium cost
- Impact on aspirations / attitudes
  
  Small positive impact
- Impact on behaviour / outcomes
  
  Small positive impact
- Strength of evidence
  
  Emerging evidence
Programmes of student support (post-entry)

Programmes of student support refers to sustained programmes of engagement (for example, via course modules or events) designed to improve retention and success among students from disadvantaged and underrepresented groups.
- Attainment raising (post-entry)
- Belonging in HE (post-entry)
- Completion
- Progression to employment
- Progression to PG study
- Retention
- Skills development
- Social / cultural capital
- Wellbeing
- Post-entry to HE
- Cost
  
  Medium cost
- Impact on aspirations / attitudes
  
  Small positive impact
- Impact on behaviour / outcomes
  
  Small positive impact
- Strength of evidence
  
  Weak evidence
Multi-intervention outreach

Multi-intervention outreach combines two or more activities into an ongoing programme of support for students at different stages of their education.
- Attainment raising (pre-entry)
- Belonging in HE (pre-entry)
- Progression to ‘high tariff’ institution
- Progression to HE
- Progression to own institution
- Skills development
- Social / cultural capital
- Pre-entry to HE
- Cost
  
  High cost
- Impact on aspirations / attitudes
  
  Small positive impact
- Impact on behaviour / outcomes
  
  Mixed impact
- Strength of evidence
  
  Emerging evidence
Promoting self-advocacy for disabled students (post-entry)

Self-advocacy is the ability to speak up for yourself. It relates to an individual’s ability to manage their own environment effectively. Promoting self-advocacy involves supporting students to navigate and negotiate their learning.
- Belonging in HE (post-entry)
- Completion
- Retention
- Skills development
- Wellbeing
- Post-entry to HE
- Disabled learners
- Cost
  
  Medium cost
- Impact on aspirations / attitudes
  
  Small positive impact
- Impact on behaviour / outcomes
  
  Mixed impact
- Strength of evidence
  
  Emerging evidence
Study and soft skills support (pre-entry)

Attainment-raising activities are interventions carried out by higher education providers to raise attainment of school-age pupils. Some of these activities aim to improve attainment through the development of study skills, by way of practical activities designed to enhance attitudes and techniques to improve learning.
- Attainment raising (pre-entry)
- Progression to HE
- Progression to own institution
- Skills development
- Pre-entry to HE
- Cost
  
  Medium cost
- Impact on aspirations / attitudes
  
  Small positive impact
- Impact on behaviour / outcomes
  
  Small positive impact
- Strength of evidence
  
  Emerging evidence
Aspiration-raising interventions (pre-entry)

Aspiration-raising activities consist of interventions carried out by higher education providers to raise students’ aspirations to apply to, and attend, higher education.
- Attainment raising (pre-entry)
- Belonging in HE (pre-entry)
- Progression to HE
- Progression to own institution
- Retention
- Skills development
- Social / cultural capital
- Pre-entry to HE
- Cost
  
  Medium cost
- Impact on aspirations / attitudes
  
  Small positive impact
- Impact on behaviour / outcomes
  
  More evidence needed
- Strength of evidence
  
  Weak evidence

Order by:

Evidence interventions

Summer schools

Cost

Impact on aspirations / attitudes

Impact on behaviour / outcomes

Strength of evidence

Financial support (pre-entry)

Cost

Impact on aspirations / attitudes

Impact on behaviour / outcomes

Strength of evidence

Financial support (post-entry)

Cost

Impact on aspirations / attitudes

Impact on behaviour / outcomes

Strength of evidence

Mentoring, counselling, coaching and role models (pre-entry)

Cost

Impact on aspirations / attitudes

Impact on behaviour / outcomes

Strength of evidence

Mentoring, counselling, coaching and role models (post-entry)

Cost

Impact on aspirations / attitudes

Impact on behaviour / outcomes

Strength of evidence

Programmes of student support (post-entry)

Cost

Impact on aspirations / attitudes

Impact on behaviour / outcomes

Strength of evidence

Multi-intervention outreach

Cost

Impact on aspirations / attitudes

Impact on behaviour / outcomes

Strength of evidence

Promoting self-advocacy for disabled students (post-entry)

Cost

Impact on aspirations / attitudes

Impact on behaviour / outcomes

Strength of evidence

Study and soft skills support (pre-entry)

Cost

Impact on aspirations / attitudes

Impact on behaviour / outcomes

Strength of evidence

Aspiration-raising interventions (pre-entry)

Cost

Impact on aspirations / attitudes

Impact on behaviour / outcomes

Strength of evidence