Uni Connect

Uni Connect is being evaluated and monitored at a national level to assess how successfully the programme meets its aims.

We use this information to support our funding decisions and refine practice at a local level.

Local partnerships also evaluate their own activities, including longitudinal tracking of Uni Connect learners to evaluate the impact of particular interventions. 

Latest findings

For the latest phase of the programme we commissioned Ipsos to conduct two formative evaluations of Uni Connect.

The first evaluation (May 2023) focused on understanding strategic outreach planning and delivery. It found that partnerships were proactively adapting their offer to schools to reflect the changing priorities of the programme; focusing on addressing regional gaps in outreach and developing approaches to raise pre-16 attainment.

The second evaluation (October 2024) focused on the delivery of activities to raise pre-16 attainment in schools. It found high levels of satisfaction among schools partnered with local higher education providers through the Uni Connect programme.

The future of collaborative outreach

In December 2024, we published our overall vision for the future of collaborative outreach, and the theory of change that underpins it.

You can read more about the theory of change, and how it builds on our thinking around regional collaboration, in a blog from John Blake, our Director for Fair Access and Participation.

Evaluation and research reports