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:

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
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
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
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
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
Foundation year programmes (post-entry)

Foundation year programmes are one-year introductory courses at the start of undergraduate university. They are designed to help students who may not meet the standard requirements for entry into university to develop skills and subject-specific knowledge, with the aim of increasing access to undergraduate studies, increasing course completion and raising attainment.
- Attainment raising (post-entry)
- Belonging in HE (post-entry)
- Completion
- Progression to ‘high tariff’ institution
- Progression to HE
- Progression to own institution
- Retention
- Skills development
- Social / cultural capital
- Post-entry to HE
- Cost
  
  High cost
- Impact on aspirations / attitudes
  
  More evidence needed
- Impact on behaviour / outcomes
  
  More evidence needed
- Strength of evidence
  
  Weak evidence
Technology-based solutions to improve employability/employment outcomes (post-HE)

Technology-based solutions include a range of innovative practices that make use of new technologies to improve graduate employment outcomes.
- Progression to employment
- Progression to PG study
- Skills development
- Social / cultural capital
- Post-entry to HE
- Cost
  
  Low cost
- Impact on aspirations / attitudes
  
  More evidence needed
- Impact on behaviour / outcomes
  
  More evidence needed
- Strength of evidence
  
  Weak evidence
Teaching employability skills (post-HE)

Interventions developed by higher education providers that aim to teach employability skills and a range of competencies deemed necessary for success in securing and retaining employment (e.g., career adaptability).
- Progression to employment
- Progression to PG study
- Skills development
- Social / cultural capital
- Post-entry to HE
- Cost
  
  Medium cost
- Impact on aspirations / attitudes
  
  More evidence needed
- Impact on behaviour / outcomes
  
  More evidence needed
- Strength of evidence
  
  Weak 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
Raising attainment through school governance and teacher training (pre-entry)

School governance and teacher training are sometimes used as mechanisms to improve the attainment of school-age pupils. Partnerships between schools and higher education providers are typically formed through university sponsorship of schools, professional development opportunities for teachers, and placing university staff as governors of schools.
- Attainment raising (pre-entry)
- Progression to HE
- Progression to own institution
- Skills development
- Pre-entry to HE
- Cost
  
  High cost
- Impact on aspirations / attitudes
  
  More evidence needed
- Impact on behaviour / outcomes
  
  More evidence needed
- Strength of evidence
  
  Weak evidence

Order by:

Evidence interventions

Mentoring, counselling, coaching and role models (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

Financial support (pre-entry)

Cost

Impact on aspirations / attitudes

Impact on behaviour / outcomes

Strength of evidence

Summer schools

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

Foundation year programmes (post-entry)

Cost

Impact on aspirations / attitudes

Impact on behaviour / outcomes

Strength of evidence

Technology-based solutions to improve employability/employment outcomes (post-HE)

Cost

Impact on aspirations / attitudes

Impact on behaviour / outcomes

Strength of evidence

Teaching employability skills (post-HE)

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

Raising attainment through school governance and teacher training (pre-entry)

Cost

Impact on aspirations / attitudes

Impact on behaviour / outcomes

Strength of evidence