The Access and Participation Plan (APP) is a document that is sent to the Office for Students (OfS) by all Higher Education (HE) providers. It is a plan, written by the University’s governing body that sets out the different ways that Oxford is going to improve the equality of opportunity for students from disadvantaged backgrounds. The APP considers access in three parts: admission to university, the success for students during their studies and the students' progress to employment following un
What is the APP?
The Access and Participation Plan (APP) is a document that is sent to the Office for Students (OfS) by all Higher Education (HE) providers. It is a plan, written by the University’s governing body that sets out the different ways that Oxford is going to improve the equality of opportunity for students from disadvantaged backgrounds. The APP considers access in three parts: admission to university, the success for students during their studies and the students' progress to employment following university. This is an area of core SU work that I have done a significant amount on in my role as SU President for Undergraduates, so before my term ends, I wanted to report back to the student body about what the APP is and explain a bit about the specifics of the work I have done this year on it.
The APP identifies a range of interconnected risks affecting students from underrepresented backgrounds, including disparities in:
The University and Students’ Union have identified four risks to equality of opportunity to address. These include students from low socio-economic backgrounds, Black students and students with disabilities, all of whom are at increased risk of under-representation and worse awarding rate outcomes. Oxford Students’ Union exists to represent all students, and the SU strives to improve how it amplifies student voice and engages with higher risk student communities to improve academic outcomes.
How is the APP delivered at Oxford?
In Oxford, the progress the University makes on the APP is monitored by the Access and Participation Plan Reporting Group (APPRG), one of the senior groups that the SU Presidents have a seat on. The APPRG is made from colleagues across the University including staff from the colleges, Centre for Teaching and Learning, Undergraduate Admissions and Outreach (UAO) Office, Equality and Diversity Unit (EDU), Student Welfare and Support Services (SWSS), divisional and departmental colleagues, Oxford SU, and many more. Because of the devolved nature of the University progress in the APP interventions and initiatives, it is collated by the APPRG in a report sent to the University’s Education Committee.
This academic year the SU conducted a review into our contributions to APP objectives, particularly how we deliver on the following key intervention strategies relating to:
The review finds that Oxford SU is making a meaningful contribution to the APP through a wide range of workstreams, including:
These activities contribute to fostering belonging, improving access to support, and amplifying student voice, all of which are critical to improving academic outcomes and reducing awarding gaps.
The SU’s democratic structures, including the Conference of Common Rooms (CCR) and Representative Committees (RepComs), alongside its partnerships with University bodies such as the Equality and Diversity Unit and the Bodleian Libraries, provide important mechanisms for embedding student perspectives into institutional decision-making. In addition, SU-led campaigns and national lobbying work on student finance and cost-of-living issues demonstrate a broader commitment to addressing structural barriers affecting APP risk groups.
However, the review also identifies several key challenges that limit the SU’s overall impact. In response, the report recommends that the SU prioritise improving communication and visibility, strengthening representative structures, embedding continuity in key projects, and developing more effective and inclusive approaches to student consultation. It also highlights the importance of deepening collaboration with University partners and ensuring that student voice is systematically integrated into institutional equality, diversity, and inclusion work. These are areas that the incoming officers can work to develop with SU staff and Oxford students over their term in office.
If you would like to learn more about the APP, you can reach out to the President for Undergraduates at supresidentug@oxfordsu.ox.ac.uk.