The first evaluation of the Reach for Excellence (RfE) scheme has reported excellent results.
The project aims to help able young people from disadvantaged backgrounds to gain a place at a leading research university.
The research findings* are extremely positive, showing that students on the RfE scheme were twice as likely to enter a research-intensive university, achieved higher A-level grades and were significantly happier with the guidance they received when making their decision about whether to attend university than similar students not on the scheme.
Almost half (45%) of the first group of students to benefit from the project were admitted to research-led universities, compared to just one-fifth (21%) of similar students. The programme was also found to boost the likelihood of students entering higher education in any form (87% compared to 65% of the comparison group) and to cement their aspirations towards further study.
The results of the evaluation were made public by Vice-Chancellor Professor Michael Arthur at a special reception held at London's Royal Society in January. Speaking at the event, Professor Arthur said: "Through Reach for Excellence we have been able to focus on the brightest and best students - those with academic promise who are likely to thrive in a research-intensive university, but also from genuinely disadvantaged backgrounds.
"We've been able to do what we do best and that is focus on giving them the skills and confidence to apply to and enter universities like ours. The research shows that Reach for Excellence delivers value for money to the sector and it has also had a direct impact on our recruitment - with nearly half of those participants going to research-intensive universities entering Leeds. It widens participation and increases access."
Sir Peter Lampl, Chairman of the Sutton Trust, commented: "This is encouraging news for all those who are interested in fair access to university. This thorough evaluation of the Reach for Excellence project shows that well designed and targeted programmes really can transform the expectations and outcomes of bright, non-privileged young people. Despite the current economic constraints, if we are genuinely interested in boosting this country's shamefully low levels of social mobility, we need to invest more, not less, in schemes like this. Accessing a research-led university remains the surest way to sought-after and influential careers."
RfE is funded by the HBOS Foundation and the Sutton Trust and each two-year programme has a cohort of 120 students, mostly from families with no history of higher education attendance. Through RfE they receive support throughout year 12 and 13 studies, including study skills workshops, pre-entry guidance, financial literacy sessions, mentoring and a five-day residential summer school.
"Students also enjoy subject taster sessions, which give them the opportunity to sample teaching at undergraduate level and experience a new learning environment where teaching styles are different to school," explains Ceri Nursaw, Head of Access and Community Engagement.
"Students are encouraged to try a broad range of subjects to ensure they experience different courses before making their university applications. For example, there are sessions in English, Law, Medicine, Politics, Business and Enterprise, Engineering, Geography, Biological Sciences, Performance, Psychology and Sociology."
* The research was commissioned by the Sutton Trust and carried out by the National Foundation for Educational Research. The evaluation tracked the first cohort of RfE students as they progressed from year 12 to university. This included a baseline survey, to gauge attitudes at the beginning of the programme, and a follow-up survey.Some 114 students in the RfE programme were involved and a control group of their peers were also tracked.