Access & Participation Plan Financial Support Evaluation 2022

In the UK, Higher Education Institutions are regulated by the Office for Student (OfS), under the Higher Education and Research Act 2017 (HERA). The OfS regulates and monitors HEIs to ensure each meets the conditions of registration. Access and Participation Plans (APP) are developed to set out “how higher education providers will improve equality of opportunity for underrepresented groups to access, succeed in, and progress from higher education” (OfS, 2021). The Institute for Social Innovation and Impact (ISII) conducts the evaluation for the Access and Participation Plan at the University of Northampton. This ‘Financial Support Evaluation’ report is focused on the data surrounding the universities financial support gathered in 2021/22, statistical data from 2016/17, and 2019/20, and qualitative data collected from 10 semi-structured interviews carried out in the 2022/23 academic year. The evaluation of the programme is ongoing, and this report builds on last year’s research which highlighted the positive impact of the financial support package, the impact of COVID-19, and the need for more awareness amongst staff on the support available for students.