Widening access
Widening access is about increasing opportunities for people from a diverse range of backgrounds to benefit from higher education (HE).
We aim to improve access to higher education for those with the potential to benefit from it. We encourage Welsh higher education institutions to draw students of all ages from all sections of the community.
Key activities include:- funding support for HE institutions’ widening access strategies
- co-ordination of Reaching Wider, a major initiative that aims to make higher education a real option for many more people in Wales
- promoting opportunities for local study by funding higher education courses in further education colleges
- supporting part-time students through allocating funds to HE institutions to enable them to provide financial support to eligible students
The higher education sector’s performance in widening access is measured each year against UK HE performance indicators and widening access targets our Corporate Strategy.
