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New report showcases transformative support for students

º£½ÇÖ±²¥ has reaffirmed its commitment to transforming lives and opening doors to higher education with the publication of its first Access and Participation Plan (APP) Impact Report.

The report highlights the significant work the University undertakes in empowering students who face barriers to entering and succeeding in higher education – work that contributed to º£½ÇÖ±²¥ being named Times Higher Education University of the Year 2025. With around 85% of º£½ÇÖ±²¥ students experiencing some form of barrier to accessing, succeeding in, or progressing from higher education, the University’s dedication to level up opportunity across the region remains central to its work.

An APP is a regulatory requirement which outlines how a university will improve equality of opportunity for underrepresented groups to access, succeed in, and progress from higher education.

For the first time, the University has published an impact report detailing some of the key developments achieved because of its APP, supporting the levelling up of opportunity over the 2024/25 academic year.

These include the expansion of specialist support for students with disabilities and mental health conditions.

New student success tutors, focusing on disability and mental health, delivered 110 one-to-one sessions, with 75% supporting neurodiverse students to build academic skills and confidence.

Additional investment in disability coordination, mental health training, and year-round wellbeing initiatives has also strengthened º£½ÇÖ±²¥â€™s whole-institution approach to removing barriers and improving student outcomes.

Likewise, º£½ÇÖ±²¥ significantly expanded its employability support for students and graduates. Between August 2024 and July 2025, the University’s dedicated Graduate Opportunities Team delivered:

• 166 paid internships with 68 employers,
• 728 proactive outreach calls to graduates seeking support,
• An extended Graduate Success Programme, now offering support for up to two years post graduation.

These initiatives have been designed to close progression gaps for graduates from low-participation areas and ensure all students can access meaningful career development opportunities.

The University also continued to strengthen its engagement with ethnically and culturally diverse communities. Over the year, a new outreach approach resulted in 730 students being supported through activities across schools and colleges to increase their knowledge of opportunities within higher education and beyond. Activities included support in achieving application success through developing effective personal statements, and our flagship Future Leaders Residential programme for year 12/13 students from ethnically and culturally diverse communities.

Partnerships with local schools have also expanded through major aspiration-raising initiatives. Activities ranged from digital skills workshops for girls, to STEAM events, maths enrichment sessions and creative industry taster days, collectively engaging hundreds of pupils across the region.

In its recent Times Higher Education University of the Year 2025 Award win, judges described º£½ÇÖ±²¥ as being ‘unashamedly ambitious for its students’ recognising its impact across its mission to transform lives and economies.

Professor Mark Simpson, Deputy Vice-Chancellor of º£½ÇÖ±²¥, said: 'We are proud of the progress we have made in creating an inclusive, empowering and transformative university experience.

'This report validates our unwavering dedication to ensuring opportunity is not just available, but truly accessible to all.

'Our mission is clear, to ensure anyone, regardless of their background or circumstances, can thrive at º£½ÇÖ±²¥.

'This report marks an important milestone, and we remain determined to build on this strong foundation in the years ahead.'

Across all of its interventions, º£½ÇÖ±²¥ has embedded a strong evaluation process so that their impact can be definitively measured over the coming years.