England’s flagship university outreach scheme generates economic impact at least five times greater than its cost but has suffered from patchy funding, constantly changing priorities and low visibility outside the sector, according to an independent review.
Uni Connect, which aims to encourage people from disadvantaged backgrounds to enter higher education, was responsible for sending 2,350 extra students to university in 2020-21, as well as placing 670 students in universities with higher entrance requirements than those they might have gone to otherwise.
This, according to an analysis by consultancy firm Public First for the Office for Students (OfS), means that for every £1 spent on the programme it generates between £5 and £9 of economic activity, primarily in the form of higher wages earned by those who have taken part.
However, since the year this analysis focused on, the budget for Uni Connect has been cut in half from £60 million to £30 million, and uncertainty over funding is one of several factors that a report – published on 29 February – has identified as reasons why the programme has not delivered its full potential.
Overall, there has been no narrowing of the gaps in access to higher education between the most and least advantaged since its launch in 2017, the report says.
Done well, “there is a chance here for the OfS to make a genuine strategic shift, one that helps to catalyse a more collaborative, joined-up education sector and drives transformative outcomes for students”, the report says.
But, having already seen six different access programmes launched in the last 20 years, further reform might be viewed sceptically by the universities, colleges and schools that take part in Uni Connect, and “repeated changes to OfS guidance about the sorts of activities Uni Connect partnerships should or should not engage in had created confusion about the programme’s underlying purpose”, it adds.
A shift to target adult learners in 2021, only for this to be deprioritised a year later, was described as “embarrassing” by one participant in the research.
Similarly, a new focus on raising attainment in schools, introduced in September 2023, was also greeted with “widespread scepticism” and a sense that this aim was diluting the programme’s mission and departing too far from its traditional outreach goals.
The current model of Uni Connect – which focuses on partnerships in 29 regions – was also said to no longer make sense in some areas and the creation of a smaller number of regional partnerships is one of the recommendations of the report.
While the programme has succeeded in facilitating some strong partnerships between schools and universities, others interviewed for the research said the relationship was not collaborative, with universities seen to be dictating the aims and nature of the activities.
Many school leaders also appeared unaware of its existence, with one saying it was “almost invisible” in their college.
Speaking to reporters, the OfS’ director for fair access and participation, John Blake, said “it seems pretty clear that a national, coherent scheme in this area is justified” but “there is clear evidence of variation in impact”.
He said the regulator needed to “hold its hands up” and admit that shifts in emphasis and focus had “collectively made it sometimes challenging for the partnerships”.
The current phase of the Uni Connect programme is scheduled to run until July 2025 in principle – subject to its funding being confirmed annually by the Department for Education – and the OfS said it was unlikely to make any changes until after this date.
No final decisions about the future of the programme had been made, Mr Blake said, but there was “real evidence and appetite” for reforming it.
