Access and Participation Plan

An access and participation plan (APP) sets out the meaningful and effective strategies we will take to promote equality of opportunity for underrepresented groups at the University of Bristol.

What we are aiming to achieve

We want to improve the diversity of our student population and narrow the gaps in outcomes experienced by some groups while they study and after they graduate.

Our Access and Participation Plan covers the years 2025/26 to 2028/29 and sets out our ambitions, including objectives, strategic initiatives, investment and targets.

In August 2024, the Office for Students approved our Access and Participation Plan for the period 2025–26 to 2028–29.

To find out more, you can read:

Read plans from previous years

Objectives

Our nine objectives outline our aims, highlighting our target groups at different stages of their student journey:

Access and diversity

  • Objective 1: To increase the proportion of students from lower socio-economic groups enrolling at the University.
  • Objective 2: To increase the proportion of Black and Asian students enrolling at the University.
  • Objective 3: To maintain the proportion of mature students enrolling at the University.

Student success

  • Objective 4: To narrow completion rate gaps between students who declare a mental health condition and students who don't.
  • Objective 5:
    • To narrow completion rate gaps between mature students and young students.
    • To narrow the attainment gap between mature students and young students.
  • Objective 6: To narrow the attainment gap between students from lower and higher socio-economic backgrounds.
  • Objective 7: To narrow the attainment gap between global majority students and white students.

Careers and progression

  • Objective 8: To narrow the progression rate gap between students who declare a mental health condition and students who don't.

Evaluation and impact

We evaluate our APP initiatives to understand their impact and effectiveness. 

Read the evaluation reports for: 

More support and opportunities

Outreach and widening participation

Opportunities for schools, young people and mature students.

Creating an inclusive community

Find out about support for specific student groups. 

Financial support

Find out if you are eligible for a scholarship, bursary or hardship fund.