Box of delight

However, we must place these achievements in a broader context and admit that, for many older learners, this story of improved access to university is not one they recognise. The focus of reforms in the last ten years has been on the ‘traditional’ school-leaver, generally studying full-time on a three-year degree programme.

But, for other parts of the student body, the picture is very different. There have been significant declines in the number of both mature students and part-time learners studying at university, particularly in England where there have been the most significant reforms – in fees, in funding arrangements, and in student number deregulation.