Top universities pledge more support for care leavers to widen access to courses

Top universities have pledged more support for care leavers – including contextual admissions and bursaries – to get more disadvantaged young people into higher education.

The Russell Group, which represents many of the most selective universities in the UK, has also set out a plan to improve the transparency and consistency of policies for contextual offers.

In a report, the group of 24 research-intensive universities made a series of commitments to improve access for under-represented students.

It comes after Universities UK (UUK), which represents 141 universities, recently called for evidence to better understand how universities use contextual admissions – which take into account a student’s circumstances and background to recognise the barriers they have faced.

Practices already used by universities to help young people from disadvantaged backgrounds progress into higher education include reducing offer requirements and guaranteeing interviews.

Russell Group universities will now launch a taskforce to develop practical methods to “bring consistency to the language used” for contextual admissions policies across their institutions.

The paper said: “Clear and consistent language on contextual admissions practices means that future learners exploring their options for applying to higher education better understand policies across institutions, ensuring they can make better-informed decisions.”

All Russell Group universities have said they will provide a tailored support package for all care leaver students – including accommodation support, bursaries and contextual admissions.

Care leavers are a “disproportionately under-represented” group across higher education (HE), with just 14% of care leavers in higher education by the age of 19 in 2021/22 compared to 47% of the wider population, the report from the group said.

A lack of a stable family network to fall back on for financial help or emotional support means they may require greater pastoral care, and they may need year-round accommodation.

Once in place, the Russell Group universities have said they will extend this support package to care-experienced and estranged students to help them gain access to university and deal with the additional challenges they face during their studies.

It comes after Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson called on universities in January to “play a stronger role” in expanding access and improving outcomes for disadvantaged students.

In November, Ms Phillipson announced that undergraduate tuition fees in England, which had been frozen at £9,250 since 2017, would rise to £9,535 from 2025/26.

She also announced that maintenance loans would increase in line with inflation in the 2025-26 academic year to help students with their living costs.

The Russell Group has repeated its calls for the Government to reintroduce maintenance grants for the poorest students in England, and review the parental income thresholds that determine how much students can borrow to help ease “the growing financial pressures on students”.

The Government is due to set out its plan for higher education reform in the summer.

Tim Bradshaw, chief executive of the Russell Group, said: “As educational inequalities have grown at school level since the pandemic and cost-of-living crisis, it’s more important than ever that universities are ambitious in their attempts to close these gaps and remove barriers for students with the potential to thrive at university.

“Care-experienced students remain one of the most under-represented groups in higher education, with specific challenges particularly around finances and independent living.

“That’s why we’ve made this commitment to make sure all our universities are offering a tailored package of support, so these students get the assistance they need not just to gain a place, but to thrive at university with the right resources.”

In April, UUK announced a joint project with Ucas and the Sutton Trust to review the criteria used for contextual admissions to encourage greater consistency across universities.

The current admissions system is “hard to navigate and a barrier” which is potentially putting off young people from reaching university, UUK said.

A spokeswoman for the Department for Education said: “Through our ambitious Plan for Change we will restore universities as engines of opportunity, aspiration and growth.

“We know there are baked-in inequalities and regional disparities that remain in our education system, which is why we are demanding that providers play a stronger role in expanding access and improving outcomes for disadvantaged students. We welcome this commitment from Russell Group universities.

“We aim to publish our plans for HE reform as part of the Post-16 Education and Skills Strategy White Paper in the summer, as we fix the foundations of higher education to deliver change for students.”

Katharine Sacks-Jones, chief executive of Become, the national charity for children in care and young care leavers, said: “Care-experienced young people tell us how tough it is to get into and stay in higher education.

“So the Russell Group’s expanded help is very welcome and could be a game changer.”

She added: “This is exactly the kind of step we need other universities to follow.”

Dame Rachel de Souza, the Children’s Commissioner for England, said: “I hope this move from the Russell Group inspires other institutions to widen access to care experienced young people, improving their offer so they can navigate higher education with confidence.”

Published: 04/06/2025 by Radio NewsHub