The access agreement submitted for 2013/14 by the University of Bath has been approved by the Office for Fair Access (OFFA).
Under new tuition fee arrangements, any university or college that wishes to charge tuition fees of more than £6,000 a year to home or European Union students is required to have an access agreement approved by the Director of Fair Access.
To achieve the aims of its approved access agreement, the University of Bath has committed to an expenditure of over £7 million. This includes £4.8 million for fee waivers and bursaries and £2.2 million on outreach and retention activities.
The University has created a new Widening Participation Office aimed at coordinating activity across its Faculties and Departments.
Through this office, the University has further developed its collaborations with other leading Universities, including Oxford, Exeter and Bristol, to work with them to raise attainment.
The partnership with Bristol and Exeter has already commenced with a joint summer school currently taking place on campus in Bath. An exchange visit with Oxford has also recently taken place.
The University has also created dedicated Student Experience Officers, who will work with students throughout their time at Bath, with the aim of supporting their transition from the school system and retention at University.
Professor Bernie Morley, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Learning and Teaching at the University of Bath, said: “We recognise that successful widening participation at the University of Bath will require new approaches and a sustained strategic overview, and we are working closely with other institutions to achieve this.
“We will evaluate and closely monitor the success of the measures put in place through this Access Agreement and will continue to identify and improve strategies to encourage wider participation.”