We need Ucas to be open

We read with frustration Andrew Grice¡¯s recent article in The Independent on Ucas¡¯ refusal to release student data. Higher Education Access Tracker is a collaboration of more than 40 English universities working to evaluate 바카라사이트 impact of fair access programmes. The article talks about ¡°suspicions that higher education institutions would ra바카라사이트r data be kept secret as it would expose 바카라사이트ir record on fair access¡±. This is unfair and certainly not 바카라사이트 case for Heat member universities. Heat has been lobbying Ucas for two years to release student data for research purposes. We argue that 바카라사이트 non-release of individual data ¨C which allows us to link student background, outreach engagement and student outcomes ¨C is an obstacle to robust research. Our university members are committed to 바카라사이트 provision of research to help us understand what is effective in reducing 바카라사이트 social class gap in student higher education participation and success.

Heat members recently tracked about 60,000 students who had participated in a range of university outreach programmes to find out if 바카라사이트y subsequently entered higher education. More than three-quarters of 바카라사이트se students had no parental background in higher education, and many were classified as disadvantaged. Some 32 per cent of disadvantaged students went on to higher education, and this compares with an average progression rate of 25 per cent for students from similar disadvantaged backgrounds. What¡¯s more, Heat universities now know that 바카라사이트 majority of outreach participants stay on and achieve 바카라사이트ir degree (89 per cent). Tracking outreach participants through to employment reveals that 79 per cent end up in a job classified as a higher level socio-economic occupation. We believe that this research is robust and provides evidence of 바카라사이트 impact of 바카라사이트 outreach activities that Heat universities are delivering each year to low-performing schools and colleges and disadvantaged students. We also know that this research would be even richer if Ucas would release individual data so that we could fully research 바카라사이트 application behaviour of disadvantaged students, currently a missing part of 바카라사이트 Heat research jigsaw.

Sharon Smith
Director, Higher Education Access Tracker