'If I can go to university, anyone can'

Article excerpt

A Bristol-based university access program is bringing degree courses directly into local communities through what it calls a "micro-campus" scheme, aiming to remove barriers that keep working-class and disadvantaged students from higher education. The initiative places university classes in neighborhood centers rather than requiring students to relocate or commute long distances to traditional campuses. Participants describe how the program has made university feel achievable when they previously saw it as out of reach. The scheme addresses persistent gaps in access by meeting students where they already are, in their own neighborhoods, while still offering the full academic rigor of university study.