Social capital: the new frontier in widening participation at universities

UK universities have made progress with widening access to higher education in recent years. But while there are further advances to be made, there is an increasing realisation that focusing on entry to university is not enough. The combination of the opportunity to study and academic achievement doesn’t guarantee a good job. Evidence at Queen Mary University of London suggests that our graduates do not always succeed personally, nor make a societal contribution, to the extent that their talents and educational qualifications should enable.

QMUL is a Russell Group member based in the east end of London. Over half of our UK undergraduate students are local, 90% come from state schools, 60% are from an ethnic minority, half are in receipt of direct financial support from QMUL, and 27% come from households where the annual taxable income is £10,000 or less. Read more