Access and Participation
The Office for Students (OfS) has approved the University’s Access and Participation Plan for 2025-26 to 2028-29. See our Access and Participation Plan Summary.
This Plan outlines the University’s commitment to widening participation at Newcastle University. It provides equality of opportunity across the entire student lifecycle, and ensures continued commitment to improving fair access to higher education in general.
Embedded within the Plan is the University’s commitment to the North East, working in partnership with:
- local authorities
- enterprise partnerships
- businesses
- schools, colleges, universities and other educational trusts and partnerships
The Plan focusses on improving access and outcomes for specific groups of students because there is evidence that some outcomes can be lower for certain groups at Newcastle University compared with their peers . This includes:
- Students from areas where participation in HE is low
- Students from Black heritage backgrounds
- Other underrepresented student groups (ie care experienced students, students with disabilities, White working-class male students, carers and mature students).
An approved Plan must comply with Sections 30 to 32 of the Higher Education and Research Act 2017 (HERA) and be published on the University’s website for transparency.
See our summary of 2024-25 course fees and our summary of 2025-26 course fees. Find out more about our Approved Access and Participation Plans/Access Agreements for previous years.
Read more information about our transparency data.
Application monitoring and tracking
Over the past three years, the University has introduced a new Admission system, Microsoft Dynamics, which has brought positive improvements to the processing of applications. In the 22/23 cycle, the University began to use the new data fields provided by UCAS for 2023 entry. These are collected as part of the UCAS process and then shared with all University providers, and feed into the Dynamics system. The data fields include:
- Refugee/Asylum seeker status
- Estranged students
- caring responsibilities
- parenting responsibilities
- parent/carer in armed forces
- served in Armed Forces
- Free School Meals
- Care leavers
- Disability
The University uses this information for the following purpose:
- To assess whether applicants are eligible for an alternative offer to the standard entry requirements (eg contextual offer)
- As applicants are asked to provide the information to UCAS, assumptions are made by applicants that this information is used by the University to make adjustments at interview or assessment as part of the admissions process
Theories of Change
The interventions outlined in the Access and Participation Plan for 2025-26 to 2028-29 have been supported by the development of Theories of Change.
Summary report: Theories of Change
Bridging the Gap
Bridging the Gap was a student-led, collaborative project that was undertaken by the Education Outreach and Academic Skills teams at Newcastle University Library. The aim of the project was to create high quality, online study skills resources for A-Level and Stage 1 Undergraduate students. This would build student knowledge, skills, confidence and independence, all directed by user input.
Evaluation report: Bridging the Gap
Sense of Belonging Scheme
The Newcastle University Students’ Union Sense of Belonging Scheme has proven to be a valuable tool in fostering community and enhancing student engagement at Newcastle University. The funding has significantly contributed to increasing student participation in societies, with over 2,400 students engaging during the 6-week free membership period. Approximately 26% of students converted their free memberships into full memberships, showcasing strong engagement.
The funding also allowed societies to host diverse and inclusive events. This included social, academic, and wellbeing activities. It helped students, especially those from underrepresented groups, such as international students, feel a sense of belonging and community.
Evaluation report: Sense of Belonging Scheme
Activities Access Fund 2024-2025
The Activities Access Fund is a collaborative project between Newcastle University Students’ Union and Newcastle University. It tackles the financial barriers that hinder students’ access to and participation in extracurriculars. Not only does it aid in increasing participation in extracurriculars, it has shown to improve student wellbeing, sense of belonging and connection and decreases financial concerns.
Evaluation report: Activities Access Fund
Evaluating a Digital Mental Health Literacy Course for University Students
This project evaluated a 12-week digital mental health literacy course. It's designed to:
- increase student knowledge of mental health
- encourage healthy lifestyle and coping strategies
- improve recognition and management of anxiety and depressive symptoms
- promote appropriate help-seeking behaviour
Approximately 600 students took part in the module from 2022-2025. Students demonstrated improvements in mental health knowledge, use of self-help strategies, and stress management behaviours. Students also showed reductions in mental health stigma and loneliness.
Findings and summary: Evaluating a Digital Mental Health Literacy Course for University Students