Our approach to widening participation

At Lancaster University we are strongly committed to supporting social mobility and priorities outlined in our Access and Participation Plan (APP) focussing on fair access, participation and success of students from underrepresented backgrounds.

The University was founded on the principles of excellence in teaching and research and of supporting our local community and widening access. We believe in the importance of creating a culture of inclusivity and in the importance of providing all students with the opportunity to succeed in higher education and beyond regardless of their background or individual barriers.

The University offers a programme of APP interventions at every stage of the student journey to support and empower both our current students and the students of tomorrow to aim higher and to fulfil their potential. Lancaster’s range of scholarships and bursaries for students from underrepresented backgrounds provides vital targeted additional financial support for these students during their studies.

Transparency information for Undergraduate Students – Office for Students requirements

The University is required to publish the following ‘transparency information’ as a condition of its registration with the Office for Students (OfS). The relevant condition reads:

• F1. The provider must provide to the OfS, and publish, in the manner and form specified by the OfS, the transparency information set out in section 9 of the Higher Education and Research Act (HERA).

The transparency data relate to our ambitions to enhance participation from underrepresented groups and you can read more about the details of our targets and ambitions in this area in our OfS approved Access and Participation Plan. For a user-friendly overview of our work to encourage underrepresented groups to continue to study here at Lancaster, please visit our Widening Participation Strategy webpages.

For the 2023 transparency data we are required to publish a reduced set of transparency information. Therefore, the information in the PDF linked to below shows:

• The number of students who attained a particular degree or other academic award, or a particular level of such an award, on completion of their course with us.

It also shows these numbers by reference to:

• The gender of the individuals to which they relate
• Their ethnicity
• Their socioeconomic background in the form of the English Index of Multiple Deprivation (EIMD) 2019.

Sector information and further background

The OfS has indicated it intends to review its approach to the transparency information for the longer-term. You can read more about the OfS’ requirements in relation to the transparency return in the documents entitled Condition F1 – Transparency 2023 information: Specification and publication guidance - Office for Students.

The data

In order to fulfil this requirement of its OfS registration, the University uses this web page to make available the Transparency Tables 2023 in full.