Generation Access

Everyone deserves the chance to go to college.

Through our Generation Access campaign, we’re sharing authentic stories from students and graduates who have benefited from schemes such as DARE (Disability Access Route to Education) and HEAR (Higher Education Access Route) – along with the incredible staff who make these supports possible.

Learn more about the people creating – and benefiting from – a more accessible higher education system, and discover how you or your child could be part of this generation of change…

Since 2009, DARE (Disability Access Route to Education) and HEAR (Higher Education Access Route) are recognised as national pathways that ensure students from disadvantaged backgrounds and students with disabilities have full and wide-ranging opportunities to progress to higher education. Their impact is clear: together, DARE and HEAR applicants now account for almost one-fifth of all CAO entrants each year – a powerful testament to the reach and success of these initiatives.

Across the generations who have engaged with these opportunities, we have witnessed profound change. Students from disadvantaged backgrounds and students with disabilities who once broke new ground as the first in their families to attend university have paved the way for others to follow. Many are now leaders in their fields – writers, doctors, teachers, lawyers, entrepreneurs – contributing to a society that is fairer, more diverse, and more dynamic because of their journeys.

Over the past thirty years, our universities have worked tirelessly to open the doors of higher education wider than ever before. What began in many universities as a single Access Officer working alone has evolved into vibrant, dedicated Access and Disability Offices embedded at the heart of campus life. They offer advice and support to current and future students and are waiting to take your call…..