Widening participation

In its endeavour to be a world-leading university, Uppsala University welcomes students from different backgrounds and different perspectives.

Based on the idea that a breadth of perspectives both enriches the programmes and increases the opportunities to meet the research and societal challenges of the future, Uppsala University has been working in a structured way with action plans for widening participation since 2001. The action plans are a support for the work on widening participation, which aims to ensure that everyone, regardless of background, sees studying at Uppsala University as an opportunity.

To continue to attract a diverse student body, it is important to work systematically to recruit the most motivated students, regardless of background, and give them the support and conditions they need to successfully complete their studies. In 2024, the Vice-Chancellor decided how this work should be conducted at Uppsala University.

Purpose and overall goals of widening participation

In accordance with previous action plans, the overall and general objectives of the work are to increase the propensity of underrepresented groups to apply to higher education, and to provide students with support to take up the programme and thus improve throughput.

The systematic work to promote widening participation aims to ensure that everyone, regardless of background, sees studying at Uppsala University as an opportunity. The work covers first-cycle, second-cycle and third-cycle programmes.

The process

The responsibility for widening participation rests with the respective faculty/area management, which, with the support of a central support function, works in a three-year process with four stages:

1. Mapping and analysis

As an initial basis for the faculties' work on analysis and goal formulation, a survey of the student population is provided in 2024. This will be done by HERO - Uppsala University's Centre for Higher Education and Research as a study object. Each faculty/science area will receive a presentation of the results of the survey in spring 2024.

The factors that the survey provides a basis for working with and following up are social background, gender, Swedish/foreign background and geographical background.

2. Formulation of objectives

Every three years, each area board/faculty board identifies the programme(s) in which it is most important to broaden recruitment and formulates monitorable targets for its work in this area. The goals should endeavour to reduce unequal recruitment in terms of one or more of the factors social background, gender, Swedish/foreign background and geographical background.

The goals can be linked to a specific programme. For example, it may be to increase the proportion of men on the Preschool Teacher Programme, or to a larger area, for example to increase the proportion of students with a Swedish background on the Faculty of Pharmacy's undergraduate programmes.

It is up to each area/faculty board to decide which area is most important to broaden recruitment in. In order to have the power to work sustainably with the goals, these should not be too many and a revision of the goals is made every three years. The Rector finally sets the targets.

3. Activities

Each area board/faculty board decides on the activities to be carried out to achieve the objectives, when they will take place and who is responsible for what.The work is integrated into the regular operational planning process. A plan for the work is communicated to the Vice-Chancellor, which enables an overall picture of Uppsala University's work and facilitates coordination and learning between the various parts of the University.

4. Follow-up

Each area board/faculty board is responsible for ensuring that the work is followed up annually. The Vice-Chancellor follows up the work within the framework of quality dialogues with the academic areas.

Every three years, the area board/faculty board submits a report on the activities carried out and an analysis of the results. Based on the reports, the University Administration compiles a university-wide report that is submitted to the Vice-Chancellor and disseminated internally for joint learning.

Contact

  • Cecilia Edin, Student Affairs and Academic Registry Division
  • Joachim Ekström, Communications Division
  • breddadrekrytering@uu.se

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