Access and Student Success Impact Report 2025
21 Jan 2026
Celebrating our fantastic range of access and success activities here at Manchester, thanks to the collective effort of colleagues, students, partners, donors, and alumni.
Today we publish the University’s Access and Student Success Impact Report 2025, highlighting the progress made over the past year to widen access to higher education and support students from underrepresented backgrounds to succeed at Manchester.
The report shows strong performance against our previous Access and Participation Plan targets, including continued improvements in student outcomes and the diversity of our intake. Degree awarding gaps have narrowed further, with progress exceeding targets for some student groups, and participation from areas with lower higher education entry rates continuing to improve.
The report showcases activity across the full student lifecycle, from primary and secondary outreach through to transition, on-course success, financial support, and employability. It also reflects the launch of our new Access and Participation Plan (2025–29), aligned with the Manchester 2035 strategy and underpinned by a whole provider approach.
Access and participation activity
In 2024/25, the University worked with more than 60,000 young people from over 1,550 schools and colleges, supporting pupils to raise aspirations, build confidence, and prepare for higher education.
Primary outreach
- Over 16,000 primary school pupils engaged through outreach activities including campus visits, faculty-led projects, and cultural programmes delivered in partnership with The Whitworth, Manchester Museum and Jodrell Bank.
- Longstanding partnerships such as IntoUniversity and SEERIH continued to deliver impact locally, nationally, and internationally.
Secondary outreach
- More than 21,000 secondary school pupils engaged across a wide range of sustained and targeted programmes.
- Manchester Young Academics expanded to additional schools, supporting attainment and confidence ahead of GCSEs.
- Gateways supported pupils in Years 7 to 9 to explore higher education pathways.
- New activity such as The Road, delivered in partnership with Greater Manchester Higher, focused on supporting boys at risk of disengagement from education as part of the University’s wider work with the Greater Manchester Boys Impact Hub.
Post-16
- Over 300 outreach activities delivered to sixth form and college students.
- 578 students completed the Manchester Access Programme (MAP), with participants continuing to progress strongly into higher education.
- 310 students completed the Manchester Distance Access Scheme (MDAS), with participants entering higher education at a higher rate than their peers.
- Subject-focused initiatives, including mA*ths Online, supported students from underrepresented backgrounds to achieve high academic grades and prepare for university study.
Supporting UoM students to succeed
Once students arrive at Manchester, creating a sense of belonging and providing targeted support remains central to student success.
- A refreshed Welcome programme focused on essential information, inclusion, and coordination across the University.
- Targeted transition support for students with care experience, commuter students, and disabled students has contributed to improved continuation outcomes, with a particularly marked reduction in non-continuation among commuter students.
- Programmes such as Manchester 10/10, the Black Leadership Programme, Manchester Momentum, and faculty-led initiatives supported belonging, confidence, and academic progression.
- This year’s Institute for Teaching and Learning conference focused on student belonging, giving students from marginalised groups the opportunity to share their experiences and helping colleagues identify where practice is working well and where further change is needed.
Financial support
- Over £11.5 million distributed annually through undergraduate access scholarships and bursaries.
- Changes to Manchester Bursary eligibility mean more undergraduates are now entitled to financial support.
- Continued delivery of targeted scholarships including the Cowrie Foundation Scholarship, Raheem Sterling Foundation Scholarship, Article 26 Scholarship, and Sadler bursaries.
- 125 Manchester Masters Bursaries awarded and more than 300 students supported through the Digital Equity laptop voucher scheme.
Employability
- 402 students supported through the Turing Scheme to access international study and work opportunities.
- 110 students received a Work Experience Bursary.
- Students from underrepresented backgrounds supported into competitive careers through programmes such as Global Graduates, micro-internships, reverse mentoring, and the Freshfields Stephen Lawrence Scholarship Scheme.
Looking ahead
The report highlights the importance of evaluation, data, and evidence of impact in shaping future activity. Priorities for the new Access and Participation Plan cycle to 2029 include continued reductions in awarding gaps, improved continuation for key student groups, and sustained collaboration across the University to support access, belonging, and success.
Melissa Jacobi, Head of Access Student Success and Development, said: “This report reflects the fantastic range of access and success activities at the University of Manchester, enabled by the collective effort of colleagues, students, partners, donors, and alumni across the institution. Together, we are creating opportunities that enable an increasingly broad range of students to access, belong, and succeed at Manchester.
Our thanks go to the many colleagues who support this important work across the University. More opportunities to get involved in access and student success activity will be shared over the coming year.”
Read the full report:
Find out more about our access, participation, and student success work: