LJMU outlines plan for equality of opportunity for students



Access and Participation Plan 2025-2029 

Approved by the Office for Students (OfS), LJMU is outlining its Access and Participation Plan (APP) 2025 to 2029.  

What is an Access and Participation Plan? 

Access and participation plans set out how higher education providers will improve equality of opportunity for students from disadvantaged backgrounds to access, succeed in, and progress from higher education. 

LJMU’s Office for Students (OfS) Access and Participation Plan 2025-2029 has been approved and is available for students, staff and the public to view on the LJMU website

What are the key challenges and objectives of the plan? 

LJMU is an inclusive civic university, transforming lives and futures by placing students at the heart of everything we do. With over 27,000 students, over 53% of our students have one or more characteristics associated with underrepresentation in higher education. The university is committed to widening access, equality, diversity and inclusion and student success. 

The plan outlines 12 key targets and seven intervention strategies: 

  • Support schools within the Liverpool City Region to raise pre-16 attainment and increase aspirations. 

  • Ensure service children have an equal opportunity to make a successful application to LJMU. 

  • Ensure that students with disclosed mental health conditions and students with social or communications impairments have an equal opportunity to continue their course and to complete their degree.  

  • Ensure that students from low-income households (Index of Multiple Deprivation Q1 and Q2) have an equal opportunity to continue on their course, complete their degree and achieve a good degree. 

  • Ensure that students from low-income households (Index of Multiple Deprivation Q1 and Q2) have an equal opportunity to good graduate outcomes. 

  • Ensure UK Black students have an equal opportunity to obtain a good degree award. 

  • Ensure that students from Northern Ireland have an equal opportunity to continue their course. 


“LJMU prides itself on being an inclusive civic university. Our absolute focus is ensuring all students have equitable opportunities and are supported to access, succeed in, and progress from higher education. Whilst we are proud of what we achieved so far; we know there is more to do.  

Pro-Vice-Chancellor Student Experience, Professor Phil Vickerman


Professor Phil Vickerman continues:

“Our new Access and Participation Plan sets out 12 ambitious targets to improve student experience and outcomes. The plan and the targets reinforce our commitment to removing the barriers and addressing the risks to equality of opportunity faced by some of our students.”  

What's next? 

The university recognises the importance of evaluation to make sure that plans are working and inform ongoing improvements. To ensure LJMU gets the best possible evidence to inform decision-making, the university has pledged additional resources to this area of work and will share the findings with students, staff and the wider community as the plan progresses. 

Find out more

You can view the Access and Participation Plan 2025 –2029 and its summary on the Access and Participation Plan LJMU webpages.

Both the plan and summary have further information and contact details should you wish to be involved further in APP work. 

 



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