Access and participation plan data

Monitoring data and outcomes 2019-20

This section reports on the monitoring of 2019-20 access and participation plans (APPs) approved by the OfS. The data it contains is published as official statistics.

It is based on the annual monitoring returns submitted by providers in April 2021. We have reformed our approach to access and participation plans and the monitoring of these plans. As such, this data we have published is not comparable to data we have previously published from monitoring of 2018-19 and earlier access agreements.

Progress against targets

Providers reported progress against their 2019-20 access and participation targets. For most targets expected progress was made. Around a fifth of targets reported no progress.

The proportions of targets in each reported progress category varied depending on the lifecycle stage that the targets related to. Targets relating to multiple lifecycle stages were more likely to make expected progress than for other lifecycle stage categories.

Investment

Providers have made investment commitments as part of their approved APPs. Their investment commitments cover outreach and student support activities that contribute to each provider's strategy and goals for access and participation more broadly.

Support for disabled students was not explicitly captured from providers in their 2019-20 APPs. Investment in this area is of interest for OfS regulatory purposes and was included in 2019-20 monitoring returns. Expenditure in this category can include, but is not limited to, the disabled students’ premium.

In 2019-20, the total amount that all providers spent in relation to access and financial support was greater than the total amounts in these categories that were committed to in 2019-20 APPs. Not all providers will have individually spent more than their commitments.