Access to Learning Fund. We will actively advertise the Access to Learning Fund targeting those priority groups of students who are most likely to require and receive assistance from the fund.
Access to Learning Fund. This is a hardship fund with specific eligibility criteria that targets students from lower income backgrounds where we can provide intervention in the form of individual student need assessed financial support. The University continues to review its approach to scholarships and bursaries in light of sector wide research including that by OFFA. While we are mindful that there is relatively little evidence of impact on retention , bursaries and scholarships are meeting a desire to promote greater access to HE for lower income groups and further that students would seem to value supplementary funding once on programme. For example, research by OFFA in 2014 could find no evidence ‘that the institutional bursary schemes in operation 2006-7 had an observable effect on continuation rates for young full time first degree students’, (**OFFA 2014:1) although this evidence was not under the new fee regime arrangements. However, it was also noted by OFFA in 2009 that ‘most bursaries are meeting XXXX’s and the government’s desire to promote greater HE access for lower income students.’ (*OFFA 2009:4). Students, both at the University of Greenwich and nationally, have lobbied for schemes to be as close to cash as possible by broadening the things that students may use their funds on. The position on bursaries and Scholarships is complex to say the least and the University therefore aims to offer a package that includes both targeted and assessed support. More local, regional and national research is needed on assessing the impact of financial assistance. *Office For Fair Access, (2009), Awareness, Take–up and Impact of Institutional Bursaries and Scholarships in England. **Office for Fair Access, (2014), An interim report: Do bursaries have an effect on retention rates?
Access to Learning Fund. This is a hardship fund with specific eligibility criteria that targets students from lower income backgrounds where we can provide intervention in the form of individual student need assessed financial support. The University continues to review its approach to scholarships and bursaries in light of sector wide research including that by OFFA. We continue to be mindful of the evidence around financial support and the effects that this has on access and retention but are also encouraged by the research conducted by BIS (2014)*, as noted by OFFA, that financial support may have a positive effect on the student experience. This is concomitant with our whole life cycle model and the development of the Student Engagement Framework. We will continue therefore with our mixed model of support, thus enabling us to provide financial assistance to those who come from less well-resourced financial backgrounds; targeted support to those where intervention is needed; alongside a more universal system of support to enhance the student experience. *BIS (2014) National Strategy for Access and Student Success in Higher Education
Access to Learning Fund. We will actively advertise the Access to Learning Fund using, for example, the Leeds Student newspaper. This will be promoted at key times in the academic year such as the end of term and particularly in July when students are most in need.
