Widening Access Initiative (Retention and Success) – Commendation
CityBuddies is a voluntary peer-mentoring scheme which links up established students in their second and third year with students who have accepted a place to study on the same course at City University London. They help put anxieties to rest by answering questions before students travel to start university. When the new students arrive, they can meet with their CityBuddy to discuss how they are getting on, ask new questions that arise and be signposted to relevant activities and services. Initial exploration of City University London’s data shows that in 2014/15, retention of CityBuddies was 5% higher than the average across the institution.