What is an access and participation plan?
An access and participation plan sets out provisions that will be meaningful and effective in promoting equality of opportunity for underrepresented groups, as determined by the Office for Students.
You can see the full access and participation plan for the University of Central Lancashire on our widening participation webpage.
Key points
See page 1-3 of the full plan.
The University of Central Lancashire is a large higher education provider with UK campuses in Preston, Burnley and Westlakes. It has a large network of partner colleges in the surrounding regions and offers flexible provision including degree courses and apprenticeships.
The focus of our access and participation plan is on improving access to higher education for specific groups of students, and outcomes. Data shows that, compared to their peers at the university, outcomes are lower for certain groups of students.
We want to partner with schools to improve pupils academic outcomes and attitudes towards higher education, with the aim of increasing the number of pupils from backgrounds underrepresented in higher education, accessing university.
When at the University, we recognise that students from areas of disadvantage, Black students, and mature students do not perform as well as other students. We will improve the outcomes for these student groups by delivering a range of support activities.
Fees we charge
At the University of Central Lancashire, the maximum fees charged per year indicated in our Access and Participation Plan reflect our maximum tuition fee for 2024/25. They do not reflect the maximum tuition fee for 2025/26 as announced by the Government.
You can see a full list of fees for courses at the University of Central Lancashire on our fees and funding webpage.
Financial help available
We offer financial advice and support to students from underrepresented groups. This helps students access higher education and continue studying until their course is completed. The support includes:
- Targeted financial support for students from low income households: from September 2025, students whose main household has an annual income of less than £25,000 a year will be entitled to a financial bursary. The bursary is £500 for each year of study, except the final undergraduate year, which is £750.
- A hardship fund that supports students facing financial hardship, including emergency payments for unexpected financial crisis.
- A range of targeted bursaries to support specific student groups.
You can read about our full list of bursaries at the University of Central Lancashire on our scholarships and bursaries page.
See page 46 of the full plan for more information.
Information for students
We publish clear information for existing and prospective students about our courses, particularly around money and fees.
- Prospective students receive information on fees and financial support and advice at in person events such as our Open Days, the Fees and Funding and Cost of Living Support Hub webpages on our website, and by email.
- Current students receive information about fees and financial support and advice through our Student Hub webpages.
See page 51 of the full plan for more information.
For the most up-to-date information, see our university website.
Evaluation – how we will measure what we have achieved?
The work we do in our access and participation plan is informed by evidence about what works for students. We will collect data and feedback to evaluate:
- Our overall approach to access and participation.
- The impact of the different activities we are delivering to achieve our targets.
- How we are performing against our targets.
We will monitor impact on our target groups to ensure we are addressing our aims. Where needed, we will adapt our activities in the best interests of our students.
See pages 48-50 of the full plan for more information.
Contact details for further information
Please email our Widening Participation team for further information.