Supporting Disadvantaged Students: ‘IntoUniversity’ and the Challenges of getting into Higher Education

How can we truly level the playing field for disadvantaged students? At our Supporting Disadvantaged Students in Higher Education Conference, Dr Emily Magrath from IntoUniversity shared powerful stories and practical solutions for breaking cycles of disadvantage. From early intervention to local collaboration, her insights reveal what’s working, where challenges remain, and how universities, charities and communities can work together to give every student the chance to succeed.

The Conference took place on the 10th of June. It was a day of learning, networking and collaborating as industry leaders and experts delivered keynotes, case studies and panel discussions. The mission of the day was clear – how can we continue to support disadvantaged students and make higher education as accessible as possible? One of the most interesting sessions of the day was led by Dr Emily Magrath, the Director of Programme Development & Impact at IntoUniversity. Dr Magrath has worked at IntoUniversity for the past 8 years, putting her at the forefront of supporting students – the charity works with over 56,000 students each year.

“Today I’ll give an overview of the current education landscape and its challenges, explain how our model tries to address them, explore the importance of collaborative partnership work, and share some ideas for the future that might be applied more widely.” – Dr Magrath

The Current System

Dr Magrath began by making it clear that many things in the system already work well. The impact of access and participation plans universities enact have seen success, with more students progressing to higher education than ever before. Last year, the number of pupils in receipt of free school meals entering university rose by 2,754 – the largest increase since 2005/06. This systematic and strategic work from universities alongside a push for greater evaluation of that work to test what works best allows a fairer, more and more diverse pool of students to reach higher education. It supports all children to achieve their potential and make informed choices that Higher Education is the pathway for them.

However, when looking through the lens of higher education, there are major financial hindrances involved. Whilst the Government covers tuition fees (£9,535 per year, in 2025), The maintenance loan which exists to subsidise your food and rent whilst you study is often not enough. The amount you receive from the government varies depending on your financial situation. The maximum you can receive is £13,348 per year, if your university is in London.

However, Unipol, a university housing charity revealed in a 2024 survey:

“The maximum student loan (£13,348) is now less than the average student rent (£13,595), leaving students unable to afford basic living costs” – Unipol

This is a major challenge. The UK government will cover your tuition and 99% of your rent (if you qualify for the maximum loan amount), but if you live in London, without a job, where will you find money for food, or school equipment. Beyond these essentials, what about money for social activities? It means that students will either have to rely on money from guardians, or get part-time work. This can be extremely difficult to find, as jobs that accommodate a university timetable can be hard to come by. It means that some children from poorer families cannot even consider university as they won’t be able to cover the cost of renting a room on or near campus. Or, if they have caring responsibilities, or cannot work part-time for a multitude of different reasons, then it is financially impossible. There are workarounds for this, but they involve applications, meetings and can be daunting. They also often involve taking out more loans which will have to be paid back post degree. It is a shame that there are such barriers to entry for the truly disadvantaged, Dr Magrath then highlighted how some of the difficulties in accessibility run deeper than simply financial.

Zoning in on housing, she gave us an example of a student she had worked with in the past, who had a series of operations on his legs over a few years, and at the time lived on the 6th floor of a council estate which didn’t have any lifts. Each time following an operation, he would have to climb the floors by shuffling up the stairs, one stair at a time. How could this student work at even a fraction of his maximum capacity when he had to deal with this struggle every time he left and returned to the flat? It is these sorts of children, Dr Magrath believes, that need more recognition and support. Their aspirations are not lacking, instead they need holistic support provided by organisations working in partnership such as charities, universities and local councils, to reach their full potential.

IntoUniversity and its mission

In the next part of her session, Dr Magrath also spoke about the mission of IntoUniversity – to provide local support that can break the cycles of disadvantage. They have 46 local learning centres across England and Scotland, which support young people from ages 7 up to 18. The centres operate multi-strained programmes in partnership with primary and secondary schools as well as running after-school Academic support, mentoring and enrichment programmes. The charity supports young people who are less likely, statistically, to progress into higher education and gives them the support and skills that they need to reach university. During the keynote session, Dr Magrath’s passion for what she does and the pride she feels for the charity her organisation provides was clear.

“Homes are often overcrowded spaces where young people have nowhere to study, where devices are shared between siblings, and where hard-pressed families do not have spare cash for tutors and after-school activities. Few get the grades to go to university. As a result, many families are caught in a vicious cycle, where the disadvantages of one generation are passed onto the next. This creates neighbourhoods where for decades, poverty and educational underachievement have gone hand in hand.” – IntoUniversity

Dr Magrath recalled how IntoUniversity could provide a safe space for students to learn and develop through a story of a child she worked with. When he arrived at the centre aged seven, he was anxious, and early on crawled under the table and pretended to be a cat. To begin with, there were lots of things the student found overwhelming, and he found it challenging to work with other students. Staff were patient, and alongside his learning taught him tools such as breathing techniques to use when he was dysregulated. This helped him to calm down and regain control of his emotions. Government Events is also hosting The Student Mental Health and Wellbeing Conference on the 2nd of October, which promises to address the mental challenges faced by students. You can find out more here.

Another great initiative within IntoUniversity is the trips and experiences they provide for the children. One of these trips was to the beach – somewhere the boy had never been before. These real-life experiences, alongside his calming strategies, have allowed IntoUniversity to see changes in the child, allowing him to become a more attentive as a learner, as well as grow in confidence significantly since joining the charity.

That is just one story of how charitable work can help disadvantaged students. The work they are doing at IntoUniversity is impactful and inspirational. It highlights how often young people want to do things, like work hard at school and learn, but they are impeded by the environments they live in and the lack of opportunities they can access. Systematic work to remove these barriers, can even the playing field.

The future of supporting disadvantaged students

Next, we need to look ahead. For the future, Dr Magrath emphasised that early intervention continues to be crucial. Evidence shows that younger engagement is key to widening access to Higher Education. Helping a child to see university as a pathway for them when they are in primary school gives them the confidence to pursue their ambitions through secondary school. She also argued that local collaboration between universities, third-sector organisations and families is key and can lead to disadvantaged students reaching quality, consistent support in a more effective way.

In short, progress is real but uneven. By embedding place-based, long term sustained support from earlier points in a child’s education, IntoUniversity helps young people to grow with consistent support from their staff teams. By working together, universities, charities and schools can help students, regardless of background, reach the futures they aspire to. Dr Magrath’s message was clear – we’re on the right path, but more work needs to be done, and levelling the playing field will not only lead to a more diverse higher education pool, but it will also allow for children of all backgrounds to both view university as an attainable goal and be able to realistically make a choice of that option for themselves.
We’d like to thank Emily Magrath for this powerful and inspirational talk at the Supporting Disadvantaged Students in Higher Education Conference. We have a plethora of upcoming conferences, covering education, government, health and social care and more. Giving you opportunities to learn, network and make meaningful change is at the heart of Government Event’s mission.