UCL Outreach

Main features of the UCL Access Agreement 2012-13 include:

• tuition fees for UK/EU undergraduate students to be set at £9,000 from 2012/13
• an anticipated 30% of additional tuition fee income to be spent on access measures equating to approximately £8.2 million per year when fully implemented. Approximately £7 million of additional tuition fee income to be spent on financial measures and £1.2 million on outreach activities
• long-term engagement and outreach with the school sector through the UCL Academy in Camden
• continuation of current successful outreach activities and the introduction of a range of new activities, including targeted sustained activities aimed at increasing the number of students from disadvantaged backgrounds studying at university level and, in particular, at UCL
• challenging targets and milestones covering applications, student intake, progression and outreach activities that will move UCL further in the direction of wider social inclusion and reflect our own distinct ethos of openness
• effective evaluation and monitoring to ensure that activities remain focused on outcomes
• clear and transparent information available for prospective students on programmes of study and the finances for studying at UCL.  

UCL's tuition fees will be set at £9,000.

From academic year 2012/13, UCL will introduce a new bursary scheme for eligible undergraduate students entitled the ‘UCL Undergraduate Bursary’.

This scheme will incorporate the governments National Scholarships Programme (NSP) with UCL more than matching the government allocation to provide additional bursary support for students. In total, UCL will provide:

• over £2 million for first year students on a household incomes of under £25,000
• approximately £300,000 will be provided to first year students on family incomes between £25,000 and £42,600
• bursaries for the 2012 students in their subsequent years of study

This means that, when these arrangements are fully implemented, UCL will be investing over £7 million in bursaries for students.

UCL has chosen to provide maintenance bursaries in the form of accommodation and cash bursaries as opposed to fee waivers. As fee waivers provide no benefit to the learner during their time as a student, enhanced targeted maintenance bursaries provided to students while on course are a better use of available funding, and will improve retention and achievement.

For more information on the type and level of support offered through the UCL Undergraduate Bursary scheme (including NSP) please refer to www.ucl.ac.uk/finance2012

UCL currently engages in a wide range of outreach and widening participation activities. Each year, as part of its outreach agenda, UCL works with over 20,000 young people, 900 parents, 400 teachers and 140 state schools.

Activities currently undertaken include (full details are available on the UCL Outreach website):

• an annual UCL Open Day (for undergraduates)
• summer schools
• masterclasses
• a tutoring and mentoring scheme
• a primary school outreach scheme using UCL's museums and collections.

These activities will continue in 2012/13.

UCL Academy in Camden

www.uclacademy.com

UCL is committed to long-term engagement and outreach with the school sector. This is reflected in our biggest commitment to raising aspiration and opportunity, the UCL Academy in Camden.

The UCL Academy in Camden, an all-ability, 11–18 non-selective school, is scheduled to open in September 2012. It is currently intended that the school will have Year 7 and Year 12 entry points. The academy is sponsored solely by UCL and is being delivered in collaboration with the London Borough of Camden.

Design plans for the academy include space to allow it to be used as a hub for classroom-based outreach activity across Camden. Development of the UCL Academy has brought UCL into contact with different layers of education decision-makers within Camden. These links have helped to enhance UCL‟s relationships within the borough and continue to inform the development of outreach projects and policy.

UCL Horizons Programme

www.ucl.ac.uk/prospective-students/widening-participation/horizons

This successful extended programme is currently supported through external funding but will be funded through new additional fee income from 2012.

The Horizons programme is a scheme that encourages sustained engagement with UCL through a regular Year 10 Saturday School which runs across four terms as well as a Summer School. The programme continues with a Year 11 Autumn Careers programme with occasional workshops across the summer school vacation. Of the 103 students offered a place on the programme in 2009/10, 89 had no parental HE background and 46 were listed as being in receipt of free school meals. This targeted approach is being used as a template for future activity.

Other activities 

UCL has comitted to a wide range of further activities in the following areas:

• Pre-16 aspiration and achievement-raising
• Post-16 preparation for higher education
• Parnerships and collaborations

These are detailed in full in our Access Agreement which is available to download by clcking the link below:

• UCL Access Agreement 2012-13

UCL has committed to a range of targets which are ambitious, but reflective of an institution with our own distinct ethos of openness.

Application-oriented Targets

UCL's application-oriented targets focus on lower socio-economic groups and low participation neighbourhoods. 

UCL will seek to:

• Increase applications from prospective students from lower socio-economic groups (SEC 4-8) by 25% over the period 2012-2017 with an annual milestone of a 5% increase. Baseline for this target is 2784 applications.
• Increase applications from prospective students from low participation neighbourhoods (POLAR group 1) by 25% over the period 2012-2017 with an annual milestone of a 5% increase. Baseline for this target is 922 applications.

Student Intake Targets

Student intake targets focus on state school as well as the lower socio-economic group and low participation neighbourhood HESA performance indicator categories. Recognising that retention is as important as intake for widening participation, UCL is also setting a target for degree programme achievement. 

UCL will seek to:

• Increase its percentage of intake from state schools by 10% over the period 2012-2017 with an annual milestone of a 2% increase. Baseline for this target is the 2011 HESA performance indicator figure of 65.3%. 
• Increase its percentage of intake from lower social class by 5% over the period 2012-2017 with an annual milestone of a 1% increase. Baseline for this target is the 2011 HESA performance indicator figure of 17.5%.
• Increase its percentage of intake from low participation neighbourhoods by 5% over the period 2012-2017 with an annual milestone of a 1% increase. Baseline for this target is the 2011 HESA performance indicator figure of 3.8%.
• Each year, achieve and maintain a projected outcome (awards) percentage of 90% for undergraduate students. Baseline for this target is the 2011 HESA performance indicator figure of 89.8%.
• As UCL is introducing a number of new activities, some requiring sustained engagement, it is envisaged that movement towards targets will be incremental. However, it is anticipated that UCL will achieve the HESA benchmarks in these areas over the course of the period 2012-2017.

Outreach Activity Milestones

UCL will seek to:

• Recruit 100 students a year to the Horizons Year 11 Saturday School programme and achieve sustained engagement with attendees of the scheme during their Year 12 and 13 studies.
• Recruit 50 students a year to the attainment activity "Aspire" delivered for A level students at City & Islington College, leading to at least 20% of cohort making applications to UCL.
• Engage with 2500 primary school children per year through UCL's Museum and Collections activity.
• Deliver Year 9 "University Challenge" blocks of activity with at least 10 schools reaching 300 students.
• Deliver five "UCL Discovery Days" for parents and students with 150 attendees across all days.
• Recruit 50 student advocates (25 current students, 25 alumni) to deliver sessions in their previous schools.
• Recruit 100 Year 12 students to UCL's "Uni Link" scheme, providing support to enhance progression through to Year 13 and into university.
• Recruit a minimum of 50 students from a looked after background to attend bespoke events aimed at this group.

Office for Fair Access (OFFA)

• www.offa.org.uk

UCL Finance 2012 site

• www.ucl.ac.uk/finance2012

Current UCL Access Agreement (to 2011)

• www.ucl.ac.uk/prospective-students/widening-participation/about-us/access-agreement