For over two decades, Dr Rachel Carr OBE, Co-Founder and Chief Executive of IntoUniversity, has dedicated her career to tackling educational barriers and supporting thousands of young people from many of England and Scotland’s poorest neighbourhoods.
Dr Carr, who grew up in a small village called Edge in Gloucestershire and attended the local village school, credits her primary school teacher, Ann Kennett, who she has known since she was nine years old, with planting the early seeds of confidence: “She was endlessly encouraging — she believed in us before we knew how to believe in ourselves. We’ve remained friends and she’s here today, which is so exciting.”
Dr Carr began her career in academia, completing a PhD in Victorian literature with a focus on women’s access to education and medicine. She then spent nearly a decade sharing her passion for learning, literature and language with her students at the University of West London.
But it was her volunteer work with young people in London’s North Kensington that inspired a new path — one that would eventually help over a quarter of a million young people come through the doors of an IntoUniversity centre.
“IntoUniversity began because I realised that the young people I worked with in my youth group weren’t the same young people I was teaching at university,” said Dr Carr. “That inequity drove me to help build something better.”
From its roots in North Kensington to a network of 46 centres across England and Scotland, IntoUniversity now works with over 56,000 students annually. The organisation supports young people to realise their ambitions — whether university, apprenticeships, or other pathways.
A Middlesbrough centre recently opened just streets away from where Rachel’s parents, Tony and Iris, grew up — a poignant full-circle moment.
“My dad, Tony Carr, never had the chance to go to university when he left school, but he was absolutely determined that I would,” she said. “He got to see our first couple of centres before he passed away, and he was so proud. Now to have a centre in the very place he was raised — it’s very emotional.”
Lucy Collins, Director of Student Opportunity at the University of Bristol, who will deliver Dr Carr’s oration, said: “Rachel has demonstrated extraordinary leadership and vision. Her work has empowered thousands of students to pursue higher education and realise their potential. We are proud to honour her here in Bristol — the very city where IntoUniversity opened its second centre outside of London.”
The Bristol East Centre in Barton Hill and the surrounding area was the first collaboration between the University of Bristol and IntoUniversity. They have since opened a second learning centre in the Hartcliffe area of South Bristol, in collaboration with the universities of Bristol, Exeter and Bath and IntoUniversity.
Reflecting on her journey, Dr Carr encourages today’s graduates to believe in the impact they can make: “Going to university opens doors to bright futures - have the confidence to think big and the determination to work hard to achieve your ambitions. And don’t forget to hold a hand out to help those coming behind you.”
As IntoUniversity aims to grow to 50 centres by 2028, working with 60,000 students each year, Rachel’s mission remains grounded in a simple but powerful principle: “It's not about pushing every young person into university — it’s about helping them find the right path for them, and giving them the tools and belief to follow it.
The University of Bristol is delighted to award an honorary Doctor of Laws degree to Dr Rachel Carr OBE in recognition of her transformative work widening access to higher education for disadvantaged young people across the UK.