Blessed with both gorgeous weather and the beautiful campus surroundings of the University of Sussex this year’s Summer Symposium had attracted over 220 researchers and practitioners to come together for two days to discuss widening access. This year’s theme, “Widening Access – Who Cares?” had ensured contributions from across the educational landscape.

Copies of the NEON Book are now available for purchase from Cambridge Scholars Publishing.
The book brings together leading contemporary thought and research on how to address inequalities in participation in HE across the “student lifecycle”.

NEON were delighted to be hosted by MP Gordon Marsden, Shadow Minister for Higher Education, FE and Skills at the Palace of Westminster for the fifth Annual NEON Awards on 17th May 2018.

A new global initiative to address inequalities in access to higher education (HE) is being launched in Kuala Lumpur today. The first World Access to Higher Education Day (WAHED) will be on November 28th 2018. The aim of WAHED is to create a platform which raises global awareness around inequalities in access to HE and […]

Students remain a vital part of widening access work and their support with a range of initiatives has a huge impact on the learners with whom they interact. Many student unions are already carrying out innovative work to widen access but widening access practitioners in higher education institutions (HEIs) must look to support their endeavours and […]

Nominations for the 2018 NEON Awards closed on Friday 13th April 2018. The NEON Awards provide a special platform to recognise the success of our members, and celebrate the transformative power that HE can have on the lives of its learners. Over 60 nominations were submitted for this years NEON Awards and the quality of […]

We at NEON are proud to announce that nominations have opened for the 2018 NEON Awards. The purpose of the NEON Awards is to celebrate success in widening access to higher education (HE) work and in particular to recognise the students who have progressed to HE from widening access backgrounds, and how they made this journey. The event will include presentation of the NEON Awards, a short address from a senior politician committed to widening access and the opportunity for networking.

NEON is happy to announce that today it is launching a new working group looking at how to widen access, support retention and encourage success for learners who are refugees or asylum-seekers.

NEON is working with UUK and universities in 10 different areas of the country on a national research project examining the impact of the cost of higher education (HE) on the way in which Year 13 students/Level 3 students make decisions about going to university, the courses and institutions they choose, part-time employment, etc.

As we approach Christmas we want to take this opportunity to send our best wishes to all of our members and friends and thank you for your work in tackling inequality in participation and success in higher education. This has been a difficult year for HE, with a growing perception that HE is a bastion […]