Kingston University ranked top 20 nationally for social mobility in influential new report

Kingston University has been ranked among the top 20 universities in England for social mobility – including fifth overall in a table giving greater weight to recruitment of students who live close by –  in a new report from the Social Mobility Commission.

The Who Gets In? University Benchmarks for Social Mobility report assessed how effectively universities support social mobility by widening access to higher education, using a new set of benchmarks to measure performance. 

These measures cover how representative student intake is of the wider population, how effectively universities recruit students from disadvantaged backgrounds who meet entry requirements, and how the picture changes when location is taken into account.

Kingston was ranked 16 out of 94 universities when comparing actual student intake to the backgrounds of the pool of young people who meet entry requirements, rising to fifth nationally in the location-weighted tables.

The report highlighted how the University was successfully recruiting students from disadvantaged backgrounds, with 64 per cent of its intake of 18- and 19-year-olds coming from the least advantaged half of the population.

The findings reflect Kingston University's long-standing commitment to supporting students from all backgrounds to access higher education and succeed in their lives and careers, underpinned by its values as an ambitious, inclusive, innovative and enterprising institution. Through the University’s sector-leading Future Skills programme, every undergraduate student now develops the human-centric skills most valued by employers as a core, assessed part of their degree, providing enriching opportunities that reach those who benefit most.

Supporting student success

Alongside its extensive outreach work with schools, colleges and community organisations, the University also provides practical support that responds to a wide range of needs and circumstances, the University’s Student Services Director Jenni Woods said.

"While potential is everywhere, opportunity is not. Universities have a responsibility not only to ensure that every student with the talent and determination to succeed can access higher education, but to create the conditions in which they can achieve their ambitions,” she said. “Students from some of the most disadvantaged backgrounds continue to demonstrate the most extraordinary resilience, determination, and ambition and go on to make important contributions to their professions, communities and wider society.”

The University delivers a range of targeted initiatives, including the KU Cares scheme for care-experienced students, which recently celebrated its 20th anniversary, and the ELEVATE programme, which supports students of Black heritage.

Vice-Chancellor Professor Steven Spier said the University was committed to providing the very best campus environment in which all students were supported to thrive. “Being truly inclusive – one of our core values as an institution – means ensuring that talent and potential, rather than background and circumstance, determine what a student can achieve. 

“Our Future Skills approach to education is designed to equip all our students with the knowledge, skills, confidence and opportunities they need to succeed in their studies and progress into fulfilling careers.” 

• Read the Who Gets In? University Benchmarks for Social Mobility report
• Find out more about Kingston University’s Future Skills education