Widening Access

Widening Access aims to:
>  offer every student the opportunity to do what they want to do and what they have the ability to do.
> address the imbalance in which it is perceived that only students from certain backgrounds have been given this opportunity.

It may sound like a strange term, but it’s basically about the socio-economic diversity. The Students’ Association believes the University should develop a coherent strategy to “widen participation”, which means to increase the diversity of students we have in respect to socio-economic background.

Our member for widening access, Claire Simmonds, will work with the equal opportunities team and utilise the energy of the SRC as a whole, as well as liaising with the Admissions Department, especially Scottish Recruitment and Access. This Department deals with the University Ambassadors and organises the Outreach Initiatives for St Andrews. You can contact Claire at cs645@st-andrews.ac.uk.

One of the biggest problems for St. Andrews, and of huge importance for Widening Access, is the issue of image. There are many images of St Andrews portrayed in popular media which may not actually reflect the experiences of most students.

Many students do not have the aspiration to get to St Andrews – this may be linked to the University’s image problem. Raising the aspirations of students from low participation backgrounds is vital to tackling widening access and this can be achieved through Schools Liaison and Ambassador Programmes.

Many students will struggle to get to University because they cannot afford to live and study in St Andrews. This year the Director of Representation, with SRC support, will work cloesly with the University to establish accommodation scholarships for students who need them the most.