At its best, higher education can be a powerful force for social mobility. Yet for many students from disadvantaged backgrounds, places at the UK’s most prestigious universities remain stubbornly out of reach. Oxford is no exception.
For all the progress that’s been made, the question remains: are the many initiatives designed to widen access actually working? Are they reaching the students who might not otherwise have applied? And once through the gates, how do those students fare – not just during their time at university, but in the years that follow?
These are the questions at the heart of the new Centre for Research on Outreach and Access, based in the Department of Economics at the University of Oxford. Drawing on world-leading expertise in policy evaluation and data analysis, the Centre is building a clearer picture of what makes a difference, and what doesn’t, when it comes to opening up opportunity.
Though Oxford has invested significantly in outreach, there’s been little coordinated effort to measure the real impact of these initiatives. That’s what this Centre seeks to change. Led by Research Fellow Dr Mathias Jensen, the team is combining cutting-edge research methods with a deep understanding of the local and national context.
Current work includes:
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Evaluating new outreach programmes developed by Lady Margaret Hall, including early interventions and clearer information about available bursaries.
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Analysing Oxford-wide admissions and student data to explore how policies affect who applies, who gets in, and how students perform once they’re here.
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Revisiting national Longitudinal Education Outcomes (LEO) data to understand how access initiatives influence long-term outcomes such as university attendance and earnings.
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Building a collaborative network of researchers and access professionals to share insights and strengthen the evidence base.
The work is rooted in a simple but vital goal: to ensure that the opportunities offered by institutions like Oxford are not limited by background. That means looking not just at who gets in, but at how students from different walks of life experience university – and what more can be done to support them.
By bringing together rigorous research, lived experience, and a commitment to inclusion, the Centre is working to inform meaningful change. It’s early days, but the potential is huge. This is about more than numbers: it’s about people, stories, and futures.
