Postgraduate access matters: what works and what’s next

Over the weekend HEPI published blogs on Positive Affect Journaling‘s role in higher education, and a blog on student debt.

This blog was kindly authored by Louise Banahene MBE, Director of Student Success and Educational Engagement at the University of Leeds and Chair of the NEON Postgraduate Diversity Working Group, Dr Owen Gower Director, UK Council for Graduate Education, Cassie Hugill, Chief Executive of the Martingale Foundation and Professor Paul Wakeling, Dean of York Graduate Research School.

Postgraduate study was acknowledged as the ‘new frontier of social mobility’ in 2021 by the Sutton Trust. Yet persistent barriers risk limiting opportunities for talented graduates. The Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper calls for action – and the sector must respond.

Why postgraduate access matters

Postgraduate access is a message welcomed across our respective areas, and is much needed if we are to meet UK Research and Innovation’s (UKRI) commitments to ‘ensuring access for researchers and innovators from all backgrounds’, as set out in their 2025 framework. Indeed, if we are to realise the ambition in the Industrial Strategy and strengthen our economy, we must continue to develop our routes through to research and development.

If the UK is serious about remaining a global leader in innovation, it cannot afford to overlook the hidden talent that exists in this country. There are highly capable individuals who have the ability to excel in postgraduate research but whose potential is limited by financial, social, and structural barriers.

We’re talking about students who have exceptional ability, who frequently outperform their peers, but they are far less likely to move forward with postgraduate study because the next steps are unclear, financially out of reach, or they don’t have the right connections or network.

Because of these barriers, the UK’s research sector can neither find nor access these students. We know that discovering and nurturing this hidden talent isn’t just morally the right thing to do; it’s strategically vital for the UK and beyond. The breakthroughs that will transform the health, energy, and technology sectors are already in the minds of young people who, without support, may never set foot in a lab or research department. The impact of this could be detrimental, causing the UK to fall short in these areas.

As Patrick Valance states ‘a culture where […] where diversity is not embraced is not conducive to great science’.

What has worked so far

We have seen the impact that access to funding, networks to navigate the application process and the importance of role modelling can have. The introduction of the postgraduate loan saw increased participation in Master’s study amongst students from lower socio-economic backgrounds since 2013/14. But that progress is now under threat as tuition fee inflation outpaces the postgraduate loan. More recently, programmes such as those led by the Martingale Foundation which has provided a combination of scholarships and work on structural barriers, has laid the path for hundreds of students to pursue postgraduate study who would otherwise not have had the opportunity. Recent projects, including those funded by UKRI and Office for Students (OfS), have enabled the development of new models to reach under-represented groups, exploring the impact of changes to reflect the needs of a future diverse audience.

Key success factors

We believe that there are key success factors that we must all get behind if we are to widen access to postgraduate study and build on existing great practice and support from across the sector.

• Partnership between funding bodies, aligned organisations and universities to work together on setting top level expectations and building on the increasing understanding developing bottom up. In the middle, senior leaders have a crucial role to facilitate connection to institutional strategy and address challenges that arise.
• Maximise mechanisms to share what has worked and what hasn’t to address barriers to accessing postgraduate study. We have research, reports and toolkits from across the sector sharing knowledge. The recently-funded OfS/RE projects have contributed to another significant step change across the sector. The reports and lessons will continue to be available through UKCGE, and the NEON postgraduate diversity group will enable space for colleagues to reflect on how work can continue to embed change informed by these projects. Whilst there isn’t a cookie-cutter solution, it’s important we share our work, the connections we have built and consider how successful models can be adapted and scaled to ensure that talent, not opportunity, dictates a student’s progression.
• Data transparency – working collectively to collect consistent and robust data on who is applying, is offered a place and accepted is critical to understand intersections of disadvantage, explore barriers and develop strategies to overcome this. We have reached a position in the undergraduate space where working without this data would be inconceivable. The same should apply at the postgraduate level. That’s why the NEON postgraduate diversity group is working on a postgraduate data observatory, and all institutions are encouraged to join.
• We need to ensure there is space and time to evaluate the impact of work. Many changes will not result in immediate change, and therefore, taking a long-term view and linking back to allocation of resources is critical.
• Acknowledge that inequity will not cease at the point of admission. Since Wellcome’s 2020 report on research culture shed light on the importance of a positive research culture, and the threat posed by the current culture, many leading organisations have brought their focus, and their financial support, to tackling this challenge. From UKRI’s focus on culture in the REF to UKCGE’s work on inclusive research cultures and the role of supervisors in facilitating an inclusive experience, alongside the many case studies shared at the annual conference on EDI in postgraduate research, it is evident that universities are going to need to shake things up if they want to continue to foster the brightest minds.

We are at a critical juncture in the way in which access to postgraduate education can address inequity, support industrial strategy and the knowledge economy. Working together to set the direction of travel and creating space for work on the ground to be heard, shared and learn from will ensure success. We’ve collectively seen the power and impact of this through our respective areas of responsibility. We know how many students could benefit, and believe this is our moment to build on strengths.