University Alliance has submitted its response to the Office for Students’ (OfS) call for evidence on regional access partnerships.
As a mission group representing professional and technical universities with deep roots in their local communities, our members are committed to widening access to higher education and addressing regional disparities in educational opportunity.
Our response draws on extensive consultation with members, including current Uni Connect leads, senior leadership, policy and evaluation specialists, and widening participation practitioners.
Key messages from our response:
• Regional collaboration must build on existing partnerships. Effective regions emerge from local relationships, shared goals and a strong sense of place. Imposed structures risk weakening impact and undermining trust.
• The proposed regional map needs review. There is significant variation in region size, institutional density, and alignment with other strategic geographies (e.g. devolution, skills). Without adjustment, this could lead to duplication, inefficiency and disengagement.
• Sustained funding and strategic clarity are essential. Regional work must be backed by multi-year investment and consistent objectives. Recent instability in Uni Connect priorities has limited long-term planning.
• Collaboration should be facilitated, not regulated. Proposals for independent regional coordinators and feedback on APP collaboration risk creating a parallel regulatory structure. These roles must enable, not oversee, partnership activity.
• Institutional diversity must be recognised. APP-related regional targets must reflect the different missions, sizes and recruitment patterns of providers. One-size-fits-all approaches will not deliver equity or effectiveness.
