Transparency return

The Royal Agricultural University (RAU) is a small and specialised land-based institution.

While we have comparatively high levels of diversity in our postgraduate community, recruitment to the undergraduate programmes has traditionally come from those who reside within English rural communities, which are not diverse.

The RAU is in a unique position to be able to address access for underrepresented groups within rural communities. Widening participation is a strategic goal for the University and our aim is to grow and diversify our student community. We aim to increase participation and social mobility, particularly from:

  • Students from low participation areas
  • Students from state schools
  • Students from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) backgrounds
  • Students who have been in local authority care

We are committed to implementing a programme of change, enabling the RAU to recruit students from a wide and diverse range of backgrounds; to ensure that they flourish and succeed academically, that they are well equipped to progress to employment, start their own business, or engage in further study.

Having identified our aims, we are developing a wide range of inputs to help us achieve our outcomes over the short medium and longer term. This will result in our achieving our first RAU strategic aim as set out in the Access and Participation Plan (APP) 2020-21 to 2024-25. This is illustrated in the logic chain below.

Aims

(e.g. to achieve a more diverse student community)

Input

(action and activities e.g. outreach activities)

Outcomes

short, medium and longer term e.g. achievement of APP milestones)

Impact

(achievement of access, success and progression aims)

The information on these pages shows:

  • The number of applications for admission on to recognised, undergraduate higher education courses that we have received from UK domiciled applicants;
  • The number of offers we have made in relation to those applications;
  • The number of those offers accepted and the number of those who have registered with us;
  • The number of students who attained a particular degree or other academic award, or a particular level of such an award, on completion of their course with us.

It also shows these numbers by reference to:

  • The gender of the individuals to which they relate;
  • Their ethnicity;
  • Their socio-economic background.

It is important to note that the data presented has not been contextualised. This means, for example, that you will not be able to see from this data how many of those applying to courses met the entry criteria. It is also the case that universities and colleges will often receive many more applications than they have spaces on courses and so offer rates will necessarily be lower than application rates in those circumstances.