The Supporting Disadvantaged Students in Higher Education Conference 2026
Previous Supporters include:
Overview:
Persistent inequalities continue to shape who enters, progresses through and succeeds in higher education in the UK. Although undergraduate acceptances have risen in 2025, growth remains below expectations, and the divide between disadvantaged students and their peers is still striking. Young people who were eligible for free school meals continue to enter higher education at far lower rates, and access to the most selective universities is even more uneven. At the same time, financial pressures on institutions and students are intensifying, increasing the urgency of creating stable student-centred systems of support.
Agenda
Registration
Chair’s Opening Remarks
Keynote: Highlighting the Key Challenges Facing Disadvantaged Students in Higher Education
Session Coming Soon
Ellie Rowley, Policy and Strategy Manager, UCAS (CONFIRMED)
Keynote: Key Aims for Widening Participation in Higher Education
- Highlighting the national inequalities that limit disadvantaged students’ routes into higher education
- Strengthening early attainment pathways so disadvantaged learners receive the academic foundation they need before Higher Education decisions are made
- Ensuring Higher Education institutions widen participation commitments so progress continues even during financial or structural change
- Driving reductions in regional and socio-economic disparities by improving access to routes into higher education, particularly in areas with historically low participation
Dr Richard Brabner, Local Policy Innovation Partnership (LPIP) Place Fellow, University of Birmingham (invited)
Questions and Answers
Comfort Break
Keynote: Born to Fail?’Improving Outcomes
- Interrogating how socio-economic disadvantage shapes access and degree outcomes rather than accepting differential attainment as inevitable
- Discussing the influence of institutional culture on disadvantaged students experience in higher education
- Translating social mobility evidence into strategies that strengthen attainment and graduate opportunity
- Mobilising universities to move beyond access metrics towards continued success by employability pathways
Dame Sonia Blandford, Professor of Social Mobility, Plymouth Marjon University (CONFIRMED)
Keynote: Regional Disparities and Access to Top Universities
- Developing awareness of how regional background shapes higher-education opportunity and participation between areas such as the North East and coastal towns
- Supporting targeted action in low-participation regions by strengthening local pathways into HE and increasing work with schools and communities where aspiration is systematically lower
- Tackling regional equality into national widening-participation policy by adopting commitments which aim to narrow the gap between the highest and lowest-participation areas
- Encouraging collaboration between universities, local authorities and employers to expand opportunity for students whose educational prospects are limited by geography
Jon Datta, Head of University Access and Digital, Sutton Trust (CONFIRMED)
Questions and Answers
Lunch Break
Keynote: How Disadvantage Shapes Student Experience
- Discussing the scale of financial pressure on students and how this creates a backdrop of anxiety impacting their time at university
- Outlining how financial strain disrupts the student experience forcing students to prioritise finances ahead of wellbeing and academic progress
- Ensuring institutional support extends beyond financial relief and creates conditions where students can study and participate in university life without constant pressure
- Highlighting the importance of lived experience by placing financially disadvantaged students at the centre, ensuring decisions reflect day-to-day realities they face
Senior Representative, National Union of Students (invited)
Case Study: Improving Access: Reasonable Adjustments in Higher Education
- Identifying the barriers disabled students continue to face when navigating university life, including inaccessible learning environments
- Outlining how reasonable adjustments function as a legal and practical tool to remove disadvantage, ensuring students can participate in teaching and assessment on equal terms
- Improving institutional processes so students receive timely assessments and support from the point of application through to graduation
- Ensuring disabled students’ voices are in decision-making so policies and learning environments reflect lived experience
Mette Anwar-Westander, Founder and CEO, Disabled Students UK (invited)
Questions and Answers
Breakout Networking
In this breakout session, participants can meet colleagues from across the sector and explore shared experiences. Attendees can reflect on the issues shaping access and inclusion in higher education while forming new professional connections.
Comfort Break
Keynote: Improving Graduate Outcomes
- Considering that graduate employment remains deeply uneven, with students from lower-income backgrounds still facing slower progression into stable work and weaker long-term earnings
- Revealing the ongoing influence of background and institutional reputation on who secures professional roles
- Highlighting the increasing risk of under-employment for graduates without financial safety nets limiting social mobility
- Encouraging universities and policymakers to strengthen employability support so disadvantaged students can access the experience needed to progress into relevant work
Charlie Ball, Labour Market Intelligence and Expert on Graduate Employment, Jisc (invited)
Case Study: Supporting Success of Intersectional Students
- Exploring the experiences of ethnic minority students in higher education and how institutional culture and learning environments contribute to unequal degree outcomes
- Developing practical approaches that reduce the awarding gap through policy change and teaching practices that reflect the diversity of students
- Illustrating effective work from institutions that have demonstrated measurable progress in reducing disparities, highlighting the structures and leadership that make improvement sustainable
- Building inclusive student communities that allow ethnic minority students to feel recognised, supported and able to thrive both academically and socially
Dr Arun Verma, Head of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, University of London (invited)
Questions and Answers
Chair’s Closing Remarks
Conference Close
Get in Touch
Previous Speakers
Nathan Belgrave
Equality, Diversity, Inclusion and Accessibility Manager
University of Manchester
Susie Whigham
Chief Programmes & Communities Officer
The Brilliant Club
Dr Gideon Sappor
Senior Fellow Higher Education Academy
UCL Institute of Education
Lisa Shaw
Work Experience & Mentoring Lead (EDI)
University of Birmingham
Dr Arun Verma
Inclusion, Intersectionality & Impact Leader
Author of Anti-Racism in Higher Education
Testimonials
This has been my first Government Event to attend and was easy to access and very insightful
This was an insightful event with knowledgeable guest speakers
This conference was an exceptionally well-organised and structured event, highlighted by the outstanding contributions of its speakers
Informative and confidence raising; made me feel better able to address challenges at my own work and support the contributions of colleagues
Why You Should Attend
✓ Hear high-level keynotes on the latest updates and guidance on supporting disadvantaged students
✓ Gain practical insights into how to implement effective support systems to ensure that disadvantaged students achieve academic success and personal development
✓ Engage with senior colleagues from the sector to discuss strategies for creating inclusive student communities
✓ Gain 8 hours of CPD points towards your yearly quota
For more information or to make a booking please call 0330 058 4285
Who Should Attend?
| Job Title Examples | Organisation Examples |
| Lecturers | Universities |
| HR Professionals | Colleges |
| Wellbeing Officers | Higher Education Institutions |
| Career Advisors | Charities |
| Senior University Staff | Civil Service/Government |
Pricing Options
PUBLIC SECTOR
Your delegate place at this leading conference gives you: Full access to the conference; E-guide; Networking opportunities during the day; Access to presentations post conference; 8 CPD Points.
Voluntary Sector
Your delegate place at this leading conference gives you: Full access to the conference; E-guide; Networking opportunities during the day; Access to presentations post conference; 8 CPD Points.
PRIVATE SECTOR
Your delegate place at this leading conference gives you: Full access to the conference; E-guide; Networking opportunities during the day; Access to presentations post conference; 8 CPD Points.
Sponsorship
Raise Your Profile, Showcase Your Solutions, Generate New Business
If your products, services, and solutions can support our audiences in their roles, and you want to make connections and generate new business with key stakeholders, decision makers, and influencers, then please get in touch below.
IMPORTANT: There are only a small number of sponsorship opportunities available to ensure maximum exposure and ROI – contact us today to secure your place.
Virtual vs F2F
Whilst F2F provide better options for networking, there are many distinct advantages of sponsoring our online conferences including:
- Wider geographical reach of delegates and a different audience who prefer online to f2f
- Lower sponsorship package costs
- No travel/accommodation
- Less time out of the office
- No stand materials required (lower costs)
- 1 of only 2 sponsors involved – less competition on the day
- Prime speaking slot in the morning of the conference including Q&A – less distractions and easier for delegates to hear/absorb information
- Receive all delegate data after the conference to follow-up directly with those who attend and don’t attend (small % but still key stakeholders)
- Ongoing exposure via OnDemand access (coming soon)
To find out more and discuss your specific objectives, please contact us below:
