Raising Aspirations: Our commitment to outreach

1 Our commitment to outreach

2 Easter and summer schools

3 Experience Cambridge

4 The Subject Matters

5 Subject Masterclasses

6 Challenge Days

7 Black, Asian and minority ethnicity outreach

8 Further education and mature student outreach

9 Children in care and care leavers

10 HE Partnership

11 HE+

12 Departmental outreach

14 College Area Links Scheme

16 CUSU Shadowing Scheme

17 Open days

18 Oxford and Cambridge Student Conferences

19 Higher education conventions

20 Publications

21 Digital and new media

Back cover Calendar of events

Contents

1

Our commitment to outreachThe University of Cambridge has a long history of engaging in outreach; we haveoffered summer schools to disadvantaged students in conjunction with theSutton Trust since 1998, and our work with black, Asian and minority ethnicity(BAME) students began some ten years before that.

Significant changes in recent yearshave fundamentally affected accessto higher education (HE); initiativessuch as Aimhigher have ended,student funding arrangements havealtered, and demographics arechanging. However, one constant inthis ever changing landscape is ourcommitment to wideningparticipation and our efforts todeliver high quality information tostudents. Our work in this area –which we have collectively describedin this publication as ‘outreach’ – isenormously diverse.

In 2011 we reasserted ourcommitment to outreach whenrenewing our Access Agreementwith the Office for Fair Access(OFFA)1 by committing to spendapproximately 32 per cent ofadditional fee income on suchmeasures by 2016-17.

In 2013-14, in addition to the £6.5million distributed to students fromlow income households through theCambridge Bursary Scheme, theUniversity, Colleges and CambridgeUniversity Students’ Union (CUSU)spent £4.4 million deliveringoutreach initiatives. Through theseinitiatives, we were able to deliverapproximately 167,000 student and17,000 teacher interactions through3,400 events.2

Of the 90,000 students we haveengaged with and been able to trackover the last three years, almost20,000 went on to apply to theUniversity, with just fewer than 5,600being admitted.

We are immensely grateful to allthose – donors, third partyorganisations, the Colleges anddepartments, CUSU, the staff of theCambridge Admissions Office, andour student helpers – whoseinvolvement and contributionsmake this work both possible andsuccessful, and greatly value thepartnerships that have developedin the process.

What follows here is a taste of someof the initiatives currently on offer.

Jon BeardDirector of UndergraduateRecruitmentjon.beard@admin.cam.ac.uk

1 www.offa.org.uk2 Please note that participation in our outreach initiatives does not influence whether the Cambridge Colleges invite applicants for interview or offer them places.

1 A Journey to Medicine: Outreach Guidance (2014) Medical Schools Council.2 The Impact of the Sutton Trust’s Summer Schools on Subsequent Higher Education Participation: A Report to the Sutton Trust (2011)Hoare and Mann.

2

Easter and summer schools

n One of the largest residentialoutreach programmes in the UK –approximately 1,100 placesavailable across 11 events.

n Typically, around 41 per cent ofSutton Trust Summer Schoolparticipants go on to apply toCambridge, with 32 per cent ofthose being made offers.

n The Medicine Summer School hasbeen identified as a model of bestpractice in outreach by theMedical Schools Council.1

Research conducted for the SuttonTrust shows that students attendingresidential events are considerablymore likely to apply to and take upplaces at one of the participatinguniversities compared to studentswho applied for but did not attend asummer school.2 This is reflected byour own data.

In 2013-14, around 5,000 applicationswere received for the 1,100 placesavailable. Residential events offeredincluded an Easter school forstudents from Teach First schools;subject-specific Sutton Trust SummerSchools and Higher EducationGetaways (delivered in partnershipwith other institutions, see p10); andgroup-specific summer schools forstudents at further education (FE)colleges, mature students andstudents from targeted schools inblack, Asian and minority ethnicity(BAME) communities.

Priority for such events is given toacademically able students who have no parental history ofprogression to higher education;who attend a school/college with apoint score at A Level that is belowthe national average; who attend aschool with a high proportion ofstudents in receipt of free schoolmeals; who live in an area of lowprogression to higher education;who have spent time in care; and/orwho will be applying as a maturestudent.

Students who are unsuccessful ingaining a place on a summerschool may be invited to take partin our other activities, for example400 unsuccessful applicants for theSutton Trust Summer Schools wereoffered places on the ExperienceCambridge initiative (see opposite).

In addition to residential events forstudents, 100 teachers/advisersfrom targeted schools/collegesattended a Teachers’ Residential,which ran alongside the SuttonTrust Summer Schools.

Further information www.cam.ac.uk/outreachevents/

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n Alternative programme offered toselected applicants who areunsuccessful in gaining a place ona Sutton Trust Summer School.

n Nearly 300 students engaged inthis three-week subject-basedproject in 2014.

n More than a third of 2013attendees applied to theUniversity, and half of thosereceived offers.

The Sutton Trust Summer Schoolsat Cambridge are greatlyoversubscribed and we are unableto offer places to every competitiveapplicant. Consequently, in July 2014we invited some of the mostacademically strong of those whodid not secure a summer schoolplace to take part in the ExperienceCambridge initiative.

Over a three week period,Experience Cambridge participantsare set a task or series of problemsrelating to a specific topic notcovered within their Year 12 studies.A moderated online forum systemprovides means for them to shareideas, ask questions and debate thetopic with other participants andcurrent Cambridge students. Theproject culminates in a one-dayevent, held at one of the CambridgeColleges, which includes lecturesessions based around the pre-event

task, structured group seminars andan admissions question and answersession.

The 2014 programme encompasseda range of arts and science subjects– Biology, Chemistry, Engineering,Law, Mathematics, Medicine,Physics and Veterinary Medicine –and 274 students took part.

Feedback received about theproject has been very positive, andis reflected in the outcomes. Of the2013 participants, 38.0 per centwent on to apply to the Universityand, of those, 51.4 per cent weremade offers. In light of its ongoingsuccess, the initiative is to beextended across more subjects in2015.

Experience Cambridge

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The Subject Matters

n The Subject Matters eventsprovide guidance for Year 11students on A Level subjectchoice.

n 2,235 students, teachers andparents attended one of theseevents in 2013-14.

Making the right subject choices forAS and A Levels (or equivalent) is afundamental step towards making acompetitive application to highlyselective universities.

The Subject Matters events offeradvice to Year 11 students to helpinform such decisions. The sessions,delivered by Admissions Tutors,explore opportunities that highereducation can offer; provideguidance on A Level (or equivalent)subject choice; and outline whatuniversities typically look for inapplicants. Participants also have thechance to ask the Admissions Tutorsand current Cambridge studentsquestions.

In 2013-14, we expanded theinitiative and offered 10 SubjectMatters events (seven were offeredin 2012-13). A total of 2,235participants attended (an increase of6.9 per cent on 2012-13) – 1,676students and 559 parents or

teachers. Of the student participants,46.2 per cent were in receipt of freeschool meals (FSM), or came fromschools with an above averageproportion of students receivingFSM and/or below averageproportion achieving five A*-C atGCSE.

In response to the continuedsuccess of and demand for theseevents, the initiative will beexpanded again in 2014-15. Not onlywill we be increasing the capacity ofthe events, but we will beencouraging greater uptake of freeplaces by those eligible to ensurethe events are accessible to as manystudents as possible.

Further information www.cam.ac.uk/outreachevents/

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n Subject Masterclasses offer Year12 students subject enrichmentand a taste of undergraduateteaching.

n 3,430 students attended one ofthese events in 2013-14.

n More than a quarter of 2013Masterclass attendees applied tothe University.

Many students do not know whatto expect from teaching at highlyselective universities, and have hadlittle exposure to ideas beyond theirA Level (or equivalent) syllabus. TheSubject Masterclasses provide Year12 students with the opportunity toexplore a subject of interest ingreater depth and experiencetypical undergraduate teaching atCambridge.

In 2014, 16 Masterclasses wereoffered covering 21 subjectsincluding Mathematics, Genetics,Engineering, Languages, Medicine,History, Music, Politics, Geographyand Psychology. Each Masterclassincludes taster lectures in therelevant subject area led byacademic tutors, an overview of theUniversity admissions process froman Admissions Tutor, and an insightinto life as a Cambridge student.

Participants also have opportunitiesto ask the academic tutors,Admissions Tutor and currentundergraduates questions.

More than 3,400 students attended(an increase on the previous year),with almost all Masterclassesoversubscribed. Of the studentswho attended in 2013, 27.1 percent went on to apply to theUniversity and 47.3 per cent ofthose applicants were made anoffer of a place.

Further information www.cam.ac.uk/outreachevents/

Subject Masterclasses

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n A series of one-day HE tasterevents offering academicchallenge to bright students inYear 10 from disadvantagedschools.

n In 2014, more than 900 studentsand around 170 teachersattended from schools across theUK.

Challenge Days are one-day tasterevents designed to introduce theidea of higher education to largenumbers of academically ablestudents from targeted schools, andbuild and strengthen relationshipsbetween the University and schoolsin areas of high deprivation andbelow national average attainment.

These events provide a high level ofacademic challenge, allowingstudents to develop super-curricularinterests (wider academicengagement) and be encouraged toaim high in their studies. EachChallenge Day consists of samplelectures, an inter-school debatingchallenge and activities introducinghigher education. The sessions aredelivered by academics,postgraduate mentors andadmissions staff, and participantsalso have the opportunity to speakto current undergraduates abouttheir experiences of university.

In 2014, applications were receivedfrom 218 schools and 933 Year 10students from 100 schools attendedone of 13 Challenge Days. Of thoseschools accepted, all met at leastone of the priority criteria – belownational average GCSE scores andabove national average eligibility forfree school meals – and 69.3 percent met both. School groups werefrom a notably broad geographicrange and included several fromWales.

Feedback received from teacherswas very positive, with the majorityrating the day as very appropriateand well-pitched for their students.

Further information www.cam.ac.uk/outreachevents/

Challenge Days

n Cambridge’s BAME outreachprogramme – originally instigatedby GEEMA (the Group toEncourage Ethnic MinorityApplications) – has existed formore than 20 years.

n In that time, undergraduateadmissions from UK BAMEstudents have risen from five percent to 16.0 per cent of the total.

n 180 students nominated byschools and colleges engaged inthe progressive programme in2014.

Work with students from black, Asianand minority ethnicity (BAME)backgrounds is one of the longest-standing strands of outreach activityat Cambridge, and one of the mostsuccessful. Since this outreachactivity began, admissions from UKstudents identifying themselves asfrom BAME backgrounds haveincreased by more than 10 per centand, now at 16.0 per cent, areconsistent with the UK BAMEpopulation at large (14.0 per cent).1

Issues remain which have significantbearing on BAME work. Loweracademic attainment amongstsome ethnic groups hinders entry toselective universities; UCAS evidencesuggests an inclination amongminority ethnicity students to focuson institutions in areas with largeBAME populations; and BAMEstudents tend to apply to a narrow range of highly competitive subjects,such as Medicine and Law.

In order to address some of theseissues, we offer a core strand ofactivity to progressively engage witha group of 180 of the mostacademically able students in Years9-11. Targeted schools in areas withparticularly diverse ethnic and socio-economic populations are invited tonominate students (of any ethnicityor background) to participate. Theprogramme consists of one-dayskills workshops, subject-specificprojects and residential summerschools designed to encouragestudents to consider a wide range ofdegree courses and provide advicein advance of their post-16 subjectchoices.

The most recent figures show that24.0 per cent of the students whoparticipated in the BAMECommunities programme went onto apply to the University and, ofthose, 33.3 per cent were made anoffer.

Further information www.cam.ac.uk/bame/

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Black, Asian and minority ethnicityoutreach

1 Ethnicity and National Identity in England and Wales 2011 (2012) Office for National Statistics.

8

Further education and maturestudent outreach

n Outreach activity specificallyfocused on these under-represented groups – studentsattending FE colleges and maturestudents.

n 82 FE students and 38 maturestudents attended tailoredsummer schools in 2014.

n Of the 2013 summer schoolparticipants, one in three FEstudents and a quarter of maturestudents went on to apply to theUniversity.

Data show that further education(FE) sector students of standard ageare the least likely group to applysuccessfully to the University, andhave been least influenced bynational efforts to widen access toselective universities.1 In order tocombat these issues, in 2013-14 weoffered a residential summer schoolfor students, made more than 25visits to target FE colleges aroundthe UK, and also ran a residentialevent for FE tutors that gave adviceon how to better support applicants.

The summer school offers places for80 students across three subjectstrands and all 2014 participantsreported a positive perception of theUniversity as a result of attending. Ofthe 2013 participants, 35.1 per centmade an application to theUniversity and, of those, more than aquarter (26.5 per cent) were madeoffers.

Mature students (those who will be21 or older when they commencetheir HE course) typically have morecomplicated circumstances toconsider than standard ageapplicants. They can be moreconcerned about achieving afterperiods out of education (bothachieving a place on a highereducation course, and their potentialto achieve on that course), timepressures, family commitments andcost implications.2

In order to encourage applicationsto Cambridge from suitably qualifiedmature students, the University’sfour Colleges for mature studentsemploy a Mature OutreachAmbassador to visit FE colleges andliaise with other relevantorganisations. We also run a summerschool and an Applicant SupportDay to provide advice about theapplication process (in the previousround, 30.0 per cent of Support Dayattendees submitted an applicationand, of those, 60.0 per cent receivedoffers). For mature offer-holders, theUniversity’s mature Colleges run aPREP Course to help them with theirtransition to Cambridge.

Further information FE studentswww.cam.ac.uk/fe/

Mature studentswww.cam.ac.uk/mature/

1 Applications, Offers and Admissions to Research Led Universities (2009) Department of Business, Innovation and Skills and The SuttonTrust.2 Potential Mature Students Recruitment to HE (2011) Ross et al, Department for Education and Skills, Research Report RR385.

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n University has held the Buttle UKQuality Mark since 2010.

n 215 students and 123 supportersengaged in 15 day events and anArts Award project in 2013-14.

The proportion of young peoplewho have spent time in care who goon to higher education is very small,largely due to a gap in priorattainment – just 15.3 per cent ofcare leavers achieve five A*-C grades(including English and Mathematics)at GCSE,1 compared with 59.2 percent of students nationally.2 In spiteof the numbers being relativelysmall, engagement with this group isa high priority for the University.

The University holds the Buttle UKQuality Mark,3 awarded inrecognition of our commitment tothe support of students who are (orhave previously spent time) in care.Care status is a priority selectioncriterion for our outreach events, andtime spent in care is also flagged inour admissions process in order to

ensure that these students’educational and social context iscarefully considered by our selectors.Those admitted are offeredadditional financial support andyear-round accommodation, shouldthey want it.

During 2013-14, 215 students in careof all ages and from 61 localauthority areas participated in aseries of day events in Cambridge aspart of our Realise initiative. In recentyears, this initiative has beenrecognised as good practice by theAll-Party Parliamentary Group forLooked After Children and CareLeavers,4 and as best practice inaccess schemes and care-specificweb pages by Buttle UK. We alsooffered a one-day Insight event forprofessionals and carers to provideinformation and advice aboutsupporting care leavers whenconsidering and transitioning tohigher education.

In the last admissions round, wereceived the highest number ofapplications from care leavers sincedata has been collected, with 10students admitted for 2014 entry.

Further information www.cam.ac.uk/careleavers/

Children in care and care leavers

1 Outcomes for Children Looked After by Local Authorities in England 2012-13 (2013) Department for Education.2 GCSE and Equivalent Results in England 2012-13, Revised (2014) Department for Education.3 www.buttleuk.org4 www.thewhocarestrust.org.uk/data/files/Education_Matters_in_Care_September_2012.pdf

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n A collaborative project continuingaspiration raising activity in localschools initiated under Aimhigher.

n Incorporates HE Getaways – aninnovative strand which providesopportunities for students toexperience higher education at apartner university.

n Engaged with more than 4,000students in Years 9-11 in 2013-14.

In 2011, after seven years, thegovernment-funded nationalAimhigher programme wasdiscontinued. To ensure continuityof higher education informationand guidance provision for younger students inCambridgeshire and Peterborough,we took the decision to continue to offer the aspiration-raisingprogramme to local schools undera new title – HE Partnership.

The schools engaged in the HEPartnership are those which havesignificant cohorts of students fromfamilies with little or no experienceof HE. There is a particular focuswithin the programme on youngerlearners in order to challenge lowaspirations at an early stage.

During 2013-14, our HE Partnershipprogramme delivered a significantnumber and range of activities forstudents in Years 9-11. These included 75 sessions at 12 schools to

introduce HE to approximately 2,300students, as well as industry eventsand visits to Cambridge Collegesand departments for 400 students.

The HE Getaways strand, offered incollaboration with the Universities ofEast Anglia and Bedfordshire,continues to be one of the mostpopular elements of the project.Across the three events, 60 studentshave the opportunity to experienceHE in an unfamiliar environmentoutside their home region.

Building on the success of previousyears, the series of A Day in the Lifeof a Student events, run inpartnership with Anglia RuskinUniversity, was expanded in 2013-14to eight events reaching more than1,300 students.

Further information www.cam.ac.uk/hepartnership/

HE Partnership

n A unique collaborative projectworking with 12 consortia ofschools across the UK.

n 2,116 of the brightest Year 12students from schools in thecurrent areas engaged with HE+activities in 2013-14, an increaseof 24.7 per cent on 2012-13.

n Historic data (of the 2011-12cohort) shows that 70.6 per centof participants who applied toRussell Group institutions receivedoffers.1

n Of the 2012-13 participants, 11.1per cent applied to Cambridge,with 36.9 per cent made offers.

Every year a number of studentswho secure grades that would makethem competitive applicants toCambridge, Oxford or other selectiveuniversities choose not to apply. Insome instances, these are studentswho have been attending schools orcolleges with little or no experienceof preparing students for entry tohighly selective universities, and lackpeers within their year group of thesame potential and who share theiraspirations. Our HE+ projectprovides such students with acommunity for whom aiming high isthe norm, rather than the exception.

The HE+ initiative is unique in that itencourages schools and colleges tocollaborate to form regionalconsortia and to engage their verybest students in a sustained year-long programme of super-curricularenrichment and application advice.Students have the opportunity totake part in academic extensionclasses, subject masterclasses,information and guidance sessions,and visits to the University, alldelivered by the Cambridge Collegelinked with their area (see p14).

Since the project began four yearsago, more than 5,000 Year 12students from across the UK haveparticipated in activities offered bytheir local consortia. During 2013-14,four new consortia wereestablished – in Belfast, Liverpool,Preston and Wigan – bringing thetotal number of schools and collegescollaborating through the initiativeto 76 (up 54.2 per cent on 2012-13).

In 2014-15, a new project deliverymodel will be tested. Based aroundonline academic extension material,it is anticipated that up to 3,000students will be involved in this pilotduring the year.

Further information www.study.cam.ac.uk/undergraduate/access/heplus.html

www.myheplus.com

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HE+

1 Figure relates to participants we were able to track, and includes offers from the University of Cambridge.

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The Higher EducationField Academy

n An unusual three-day outdoorprogramme that developspersonal and learning skills whileintroducing students to life at theUniversity of Cambridge.

n The HEFA provides an inspiringopportunity to work withUniversity staff and young peoplefrom other schools to make,analyse and report on newdiscoveries.

n Since the programme began in2005, more than 4,000 studentshave taken part, and during 2013-14, 529 students and 98 staff from52 schools participated in 13 FieldAcademies.

The Higher Education FieldAcademy (HEFA) is for academicallyable state-educated UK students inYears 9, 10 and 12 interested instudying any subject at university. Itaims both to inspire students toapply to top universities and to helpthem develop the skills, confidenceand knowledge needed to achievetheir aspirations.

During the HEFA, students workunder University of Cambridgesupervision to make newdiscoveries which contribute toUniversity research. The first twodays are spent in small mixed-school teams on an archaeologicalexcavation. For the third day,students are based in the Divisionof Archaeology in Cambridgewhere they analyse their finds, andattend taster lectures and aworkshop on applying to university.

Following the Field Academy,participants write a report whichthey submit for assessment by theHEFA tutors. In return, studentsreceive detailed feedback abouttheir work and progress during theprogramme, as well as advice abouthow to further develop the widerange of skills they have acquired inorder to help them build on theirexperience in the future.

With regards to impact, feedbackfrom the last year shows thatfollowing participation the numberof students intending to apply touniversity increased by 12.6 percent, those considering a RussellGroup university increased by 44.6per cent, and those consideringCambridge increased by 46.9 percent.

Further information www.access.arch.cam.ac.uk/schools/hefa

Departmental outreachThe University’s academic faculties and departments offer an extensive year-round programme of engagement with the arts and sciences.1 There areinitiatives for all ages from primary upwards, which aim to encourage enthusiasmand educational confidence, and consolidate learning. The following pagesoutline two such examples.

1 Further information about outreach activities offered by the University, museums, departments and student groups can be foundin the online Outreach Directory (www.cam.ac.uk/public-engagement/voluntary-sector).

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WhyNotLangs@Cam

n Programme of activities topromote language learning instate schools.

n Aimed at students in Years 8-13from across the East of England.

n More than 700 students haveengaged with the programmesince it began in 2012.

In 2012, the University’s LanguageCentre – in collaboration with theFaculties of Asian and MiddleEastern Studies, and Modern andMedieval Languages; andsupported by several CambridgeColleges – introduced theWhyNotLangs@Cam programme topromote language learning andraise aspirations in schools with lowrates of progression to highereducation. The initiative alsosupports the national Routes intoLanguages programme to addressfalling uptake of languages at GCSE,A Level and in higher education.

The Cambridge programmeconsists of a range of transitionsdays for Years 8-10 to encouragestudents to continue with alanguage, enrichment days for Year12 students, and intensive seminarsfor Year 13 students.

Through the events, participantshave the opportunity to experienceuniversity level teaching inlanguages already being studied,attend taster classes in ‘new’languages and motivational talks, aswell as meet and talk to currentlanguage undergraduates to get aninsight into higher education.

Since WhyNotLangs@Cam waslaunched, more than 700 studentsfrom 100 schools have participatedin activities, and impact on attitudesabout continuing with languages asa result is very positive. Feedbackfrom 2014 events shows that theproportion of students interested intaking languages at GCSE rose to82.4 per cent after the event from63.9 per cent before, those GCSEstudents wanting to pursuelanguage A Levels rose to 34.8 percent from 11.8 per cent, and Year12s intending to study languages atuniversity rose to 57.9 per cent from42.6 per cent.

Further information www.langcen.cam.ac.uk/lc/outreach/outreach.html

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Homerton Collegeoutreach

n Working closely with schools andcolleges in link areas of SouthYorkshire, Richmond uponThames, Kingston upon Thamesand Hounslow, as well as moregenerally across the UK.

n The College hosted visits frommore than 30 link area schoolsand colleges, and made visits to asimilar number during 2013-14.

The aim of the Homerton CollegeOutreach Programme is to raiseaspirations amongst academicallyable students from maintainedschools and colleges in its link areas(and beyond) – to inform themabout the courses andopportunities offered by topuniversities, and to help them todevelop the confidence to apply(whether that is to Cambridge orelsewhere).

Throughout the year, Homerton’sAdmissions Tutors and SchoolsLiaison Officer visited approximately40 schools as part of the College’scommitment to reach every schoolin its link areas. For a large numberof these, the Outreach Team took

with them current undergraduatesfrom the region to help themexplain what higher education islike, and to encourage students toapply by demonstrating that othersfrom the area and/or similarbackgrounds are successful inbeing admitted to and studying atCambridge. The Outreach Team alsoattended UCAS Conventions (seep19), worked directly with teachersthrough regional Teachers’Conferences, and contributed tothe delivery of the HE+ project (seep11).

In Cambridge, as well as hostingvisits from more than 30 schools,the College held a residentialsummer school in July/August for75 high achieving students fromstate schools and colleges. Thesummer school offered two strands– one in sciences and technology,the other in arts and social sciences– and students participated in abusy programme of taster lectures,seminars and other activities inorder to experience first-hand whata Cambridge education and livingin a College is like.

Further information www.homerton.cam.ac.uk/admissions/schoolsliaison

College Area Links SchemeThe Area Links Scheme1 was established in 2000 to enable the CambridgeColleges to build effective, coherent relationships with schools and collegesacross the country. The following pages provide examples of some of theextensive work being conducted by Colleges.

1 www.cam.ac.uk/arealinks/

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Pembroke Collegeoutreach

n Working with schools andcolleges throughout the UK, withparticular focus on link areas ofBedfordshire and Luton,Leicestershire, Northamptonshireand Southwark.

n During 2013-14, the Collegeworked with more than 3,300students, parents and teachers.

The Pembroke Access, Outreachand Schools Liaison Programmeprovides information and supportfor prospective studentsconsidering Cambridge, and aimsto widen participation in highereducation through raisingaspirations. As well as undertakingvisits to schools and attendingevents in the College link areas,Pembroke delivers an extensiverange of activities in Cambridge.

In addition to year-round Visit Daysfor students in Years 10-12 – whichinclude talks and interactiveactivities, tours and a chance tospeak to current undergraduates –Pembroke runs SubjectMasterclasses for Year 12 studentsin six subject areas each year.Events offered in 2014 coveredbiological and medical sciences,History, languages, Law,mathematics for scientists, andPhilosophy and Theology. Theseday events involve taster lecturesand a talk on applying to

Cambridge. Overnightaccommodation is offered free-of-charge to those travelling a longdistance to attend.

Pembroke’s residential events takeplace during the Easter andsummer vacations. The three-dayScience Masterclass during theEaster holiday, which has beenrunning for 25 years, bringstogether the highest-achievingstudents in Years 10 and 11 frommore than 50 schools. Participantsattend lectures, trails andworkshops. In the summer, Year 12students can apply for one of theCollege’s subject-specific summerschools. These give participants anopportunity to sample universitylevel study of their chosen subject,help them to prepare for study inYear 13 and beyond, and make theiruniversity application.

Further information www.pem.cam.ac.uk/prospective-students/undergraduates/teachers-and-advisers/

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n The Shadowing Scheme providesthe opportunity to experiencedaily life as a Cambridge student.

n 346 places offered in 2014.n The Scheme was expanded in

2014 to include prospectivemature students (those who willbe 21 or older when they starttheir university course).

The Cambridge University Students’Union (CUSU) Shadowing Schemeprovides UK students with thechance to experience life as aCambridge student first-hand. TheScheme, which has been runningsince 2000, targets those who areacademically able but who havelittle school or family experience ofuniversity.

Each January and February, CUSUoffers the three-day residentialShadowing Scheme, during whicharound 350 Year 12 (or equivalent)and mature students have theopportunity to ‘shadow’ currentundergraduates, attending lecturesand social events with them. In theweeks prior to their Cambridge visit,participants are able to havecontact with the student they willbe shadowing through an e-mentoring platform in order to helpthem prepare.

The Scheme is enormously popularand greatly oversubscribed – 2,217applications were received for the2014 Scheme. Feedback shows that88.0 per cent of the 2014participants left the Scheme feelingthat they would be confident aboutapplying to Cambridge, 85.0 percent felt that their mentor was ableto give or find out for them as muchinformation about Cambridgeand/or their course as they wanted,and 88.6 per cent felt their mentorwent out of their way to make theirvisit enjoyable.1 Data from the 2013Shadowing Scheme show that 12.8per cent of the 374 participantsmade an application to Cambridge,and of those 20.8 per cent receivedoffers.

Further information www.applytocambridge.com/shadowing/

CUSU Shadowing Scheme

1 Shadowing Scheme 2014 Report (2014) CUSU.

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n 16,800 bookings were received forthe University-wide CambridgeOpen Days on 3 and 4 July 2014.

n 119 College and departmentopen days were held during 2014.

Each year, we offer a programme ofmore than 100 open days to enableprospective applicants and theiradvisers to see for themselves whatstudying at the University might belike – to find out more about ourcourses and Colleges, to see ourworld class facilities, and to speak tocurrent students and academic andadmissions staff.

While the vast majority of ourvisitors come from the UK, our opendays attract prospective applicantsfrom around the globe – forexample, in 2014 we welcomedstudents from as far afield asAustralia, Mexico, South Africa andTaiwan.

As part of the University’s continualdrive for improvement, a number ofdevelopments were implementedfor the 2014 Cambridge Open Daysin July.

These included limiting the numberof guests each student could bringto ensure places could be availablefor more prospective applicants,making greater use of the WestCambridge Site to showcase moreof the facilities on offer, andexpanding the programme withadditional sessions (eg samplelectures, tours of the new SportsCentre).

We also built on the success of theOpen Days mobile website –www.camexplore.com – byimproving functionality andenabling access to it through theUniversity’s wi-fi network. As aresult, over the week of the OpenDays the site accrued 29,000 pageviews, just under 3,600 visits andmore than 2,100 unique visits(increases of 12.4 per cent and 20.3per cent, respectively, on 2013).

Feedback provided by CambridgeOpen Days attendees is consistentlyexcellent and this was maintainedfor the 2014 event, with 92.9 percent scoring the Open Days four orfive out of five. Data show that 40.0per cent of students who attendedthe Cambridge Open Days in 2013made an application to theUniversity and, of those, 33.7 percent were made an offer of a place(13.5 per cent of all studentattendees).

Further information www.cam.ac.uk/opendays/

Open days

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n Eight large-scale conferences heldat seven venues across England,Wales, Scotland and NorthernIreland.

n In 2014, 8,500 students and 979teachers/advisers attended, morethan 76 per cent of whom werefrom the state sector.

n Approximately 20 per cent ofstudent attendees typically go onto apply to Cambridge.

The Student Conferences are a jointventure with the University ofOxford which allow bothUniversities to reach out to the bestand brightest Year 12 studentswherever they may be found in theUK, and effectively take open daysto those who might otherwise notengage with either institution.

Each one-day Student Conferenceoffers a programme of sessions toprovide the latest information onthe courses we offer, student life,finance, the application process andgraduate career opportunities.Attendees are able to speak toacademic and admissions staff aswell as current undergraduatesfrom both institutions, and separatesessions are available to cater forthe specific information needs ofteachers and advisers.

During March 2014, eight StudentConferences were held in sevenvenues in Birmingham, Edinburgh,Lisburn, Greater London,Merseyside, Newcastle andSwansea. The events attracted 9,479students and teachers from 681schools and colleges, 76.2 per cent

of whom (where known) were fromthe state sector.

For 2014, the Midlands Conferencewas relocated to Birmingham (fromLeicester) in order to increasecapacity and improve access to theevent for a greater number ofstudents in the region. As a result,the Midlands Conference sawbookings increase by 37.3 per centon the previous year. In response tothe year-on-year growth inattendance, this StudentConference will be moved again toanother new venue for 2015 thatwill allow for additional subjectsessions to be accommodated.

Overall, 18.6 per cent of those whoattended a Conference in 2013(1,357 students) went on to applyto Cambridge for 2014 entry. Ofthose, 33.9 per cent (460 students)were successful in being made anoffer to study at the University.

Further information www.studentconferences.org.uk

Oxford and Cambridge Student Conferences

19

n The University exhibited at 39large-scale regional highereducation conventions across theUK in 2014.

n These conventions providedexposure to approximately288,500 attendees and enableddirect engagement with morethan 27,500 students and advisers.

Each year the Universities andColleges Admissions Service (UCAS)organises a series of around 50higher education conventionsacross the UK. These regional eventsprovide HE institutions with theopportunity to advise largenumbers of prospective applicantsface-to-face about their coursesand the application process, and tosignpost to sources of furtherinformation.

These events are attended byapproximately 288,500 students(primarily in Year 12) from morethan 2,450 schools and colleges.Several other similar events alsoexist outside the UCAS network.

In addition to the multitude ofsmaller school/college talks andcareers and HE fairs attendedduring 2014, we exhibited at 39 ofthese large-scale regional

conventions, during which 26,800copies of the UndergraduateProspectus were distributed toprospective applicants. Along withone-to-one tailored advice andguidance provided by ourrepresentatives, we also deliveredpresentations regarding admissionsat around half of these events.

A core advantage of theseconventions is that they provide ameans by which we can come intocontact with students and adviserswho may not have previouslyconsidered Cambridge for variousreasons and who, as such, would beunlikely to attend a Cambridge-specific event.

Further information www.cam.ac.uk/outreachevents/

Higher education conventions

20

Publications

n Guides available that cater forspecific audiences andinformation needs, for exampleteachers/HE advisers and parents.

n In addition to hard copies, severalpublications are available onlineto download as PDFs, or view via adigital publishing platform.

Provision of high quality informationthat is easily accessible is vital if weare to attract the brightest and bestapplicants from all backgrounds, andwho are suitably prepared andequipped for study at Cambridge.

There continues to be great demandfor the Prospectus and relatedliterature, which remain crucialreference tools for prospectivestudents and their advisers, and playan important role in aiding decision-making and shaping impressions ofthe University. This demand isevident both through consistentusage of printed publications,market research, and throughanalytics of these publications beingaccessed online – during the year,there were more than 63,000 activeengagements with the online pageturning versions of our publications.

The Undergraduate Prospectus isreviewed annually by conductingmarket research with the core targetaudience, the feedback from whichis used to inform ongoing

development of all literature andensure that the right information isbeing disseminated in appropriateand accessible ways to meet needsand encourage further engagement.

In addition to the Prospectus andother guides primarily aimed atprospective applicants, we offerdedicated publications for parentsand supporters, and for teachers andHE advisers (including a regular freesubscription-service e-newsletter).Each March/April, the Universitysends a pack of resources directly toall schools/colleges in the UK. Inlight of findings of market researchconducted with teachers/advisersduring 2014, this distribution will beimproved in 2015 to ensure thesepacks are sent to/received by themost appropriate individual(s) ineach school/college.

Further information www.cam.ac.uk/ugpublications/

21

Digital and new media

n Three new films were producedand launched during the year.

n Followers of the UndergraduateAdmissions Facebook pageincreased by 47.0 per cent in2013-14 (from 15,208 at the endof 2012-13), and Twitter followerstripled (to 2,048).

n Currently, there are 136 films onthe Undergraduate Study playliston the University’s YouTubechannel, accumulating a total ofmore than 2.1 million views todate.

In 2013-14, a considerable amountof the Undergraduate Studywebsite was revised to make theinformation clearer and easier toaccess. Almost 2.3 million uniquevisitors accessed the website lastyear (an increase of 14.8 per cent onthe previous year), with 16.8 percent of visits made via mobiledevices and 11.1 per cent via tabletcomputers.

Since its launch in 2011, the BeCambridge microsite – aimed atproviding a flavour of student life atthe University through short films,student blogs and social media –has grown significantly so wasredesigned and relaunched inAugust 2013 to better meet theneeds of prospective students.During 2013-14, the micrositecontent was also bolstered as newstudent bloggers were recruitedand the number of blog posts morethan tripled. This, combined withthe redesign, led to a 50.0 per centincrease in unique visits over theyear.

The use of video media toencourage academically ablestudents from all backgrounds toapply to Cambridge is a keyelement that runs throughout allstrands of digital outreach.

During 2013-14, three new filmswere produced – promoted on andaccessible from all undergraduatedigital platforms. My Cambridge

features three students talkingabout their experiences of applyingto and studying at the University;and two films about interviews –Preparing for Interview and TheInterview – give an additionalinsight into this aspect of theadmissions process along withadvice and tips from AdmissionsTutors, staff and currentundergraduates.

Since its launch in January 2014 (toJuly 2014), My Cambridge wasviewed more than 23,000 times(receiving high approval rates) andwon two industry awards (IVCABronze Awards for Best Film andBest Photography). The twointerviews films have also beenexceptionally popular, beingviewed more than 35,000 times inthe month following their launch inMay 2014.

Throughout 2014-15, concepts forfurther films will be developed andexisting event films updated. Inaddition, work is underway toredevelop the websites to improvemobile and tablet device access.

Further information Undergraduate Study websitewww.study.cam.ac.uk/undergraduate/

Be Cambridgewww.becambridge.com

Cambridge Admissions OfficeFitzwilliam House32 Trumpington StreetCambridge CB2 1QY

01223 333308admissions@cam.ac.uk

www.study.cam.ac.uk/undergraduate/

Details are correct at the time of printing (January 2015).© University of Cambridge, 2015

Designed by Cambridge Design Studio

January to February CUSU Shadowing SchemeJanuary to February Challenge DaysFebruary to April Subject MasterclassesFebruary to October College open days16-27 March Oxford and Cambridge Student ConferencesMarch to July Department open daysMarch to September Higher education fairs and conventionsMay FE Teachers’ ConferenceJuly FE Summer School2-3 July Cambridge Open DaysJuly to August Experience CambridgeJuly to August Sutton Trust Summer SchoolsAugust Mature Students’ Summer SchoolSeptember Mature Students’ Application Support DayOctober to November The Subject Matters Throughout the year BAME eventsThroughout the year Children in care events

Further informationwww.cam.ac.uk/outreachevents/

Calendar of eventsThe calendar below provides an overview of some of the core outreach events tobe offered by the University, Colleges and CUSU in 2015.