Project Access

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Project Access Wins International University Access Organisation of the Year Award

30 July, 2024

Project Access Wins International University Access Organisation of the Year Award

Global education non-profit organisation and UK charity, Project Access International, is proud to announce that it has been named the International University Access Organisation of the Year 2024 and has received the UK & Excellence in Social Mobility Award 2024 by Acquisition International.

Project Access is dedicated to levelling the playing field by providing equal educational opportunities to students from underrepresented backgrounds. We achieve this by helping applicants overcome various barriers—such as financial constraints, lack of information, privilege, gender, disability, and class—through a holistic screening process that addresses the unique challenges each student may face in their application journey. The award recognises Project Access’ commitment to fighting higher education inequalities and its remarkable progress in empowering aspiring, disadvantaged students.

Research highlights a troubling disparity that has persisted over time: US students from the top 1% of the income distribution are 77 times more likely to attend an Ivy League school than those in the bottom 20%. In the same vein, the UK’s most advantaged high school students are 15 times more likely to gain admission to a top university than the most disadvantaged – a number that continues to rise.

Project Access addresses the socioeconomic and underrepresentation gap by pairing student mentors from top institutions across the US, UK, and EU with high-potential, low-opportunity students who aspire to attend these institutions.

By widening awareness through such recognitions Project Access aims to enhance support for eligible students by offering personalised mentorship throughout their entire university application process, free of charge. The project has assisted over 5,000 mentees from over 140 countries and has achieved a success rate of over 78%.

Lukas Popp, Chief Executive Officer at Project Access, said: “Receiving the UK Excellence in Social Mobility Award is a tremendous honour for us. This recognition reflects the dedication, passion, and hard work of our entire team and mentors. 

“It highlights not only our collective achievements but also the strength of our internal culture, where each team member fully embraces and takes ownership of our shared mission. Our unwavering commitment to providing equal opportunities for high-achieving students from underrepresented backgrounds drives this success.”

Taran Glasson, Chief Mentorship Officer at Project Access, added: “We’re extremely grateful to Acquisition International for the award, and for shining a light on the issue of global educational inequality.

“Ultimately, this award is for two groups of people. Firstly, it recognises the hard work of our 150 student volunteers around the world. Secondly, and crucially, this award is for the thousands of underrepresented students we advocate for, but for whom more support is still needed. This is why we’re eager to build on the unprecedented growth we’ve experienced over the past 12 months by collaborating with like-minded organisations to benefit more students than ever before.”

You can find the official published article on page 11 of the Acquisition International Magazine HERE.

About Project Access

Project Access International is a global not-for-profit organisation and UK-registered charity that promotes equal access to education - our mission is "to create a world where passion and potential define a young person's future". With a key focus on the United Kingdom, the United States and the European Union, we advocate for equal and fair access to top universities. That's why we've developed a free programme to support students who face barriers of any kind in their application - be they financial, informational, privilege, gender, disability, class, or otherwise - to both undergraduate and graduate programmes. 

At the heart of our programme is one-to-one mentoring, whereby we pair applicants with a mentor who is studying the desired programme at their university of choice. In addition to mentoring, Project Access mentees join a community of applicants worldwide and receive access to an extensive pool of resources, content, and our dedicated programme classes.

Media Contact

Richa Ved

Public Relations Manager, Project Access International

E: Richa.Ved@projectaccess.org

About Acquisition International Magazine

Acquisition International is a monthly magazine brought to you by AI Global Media Ltd, a publishing house that has reinvigorated corporate finance news and reporting. Its topical news articles make it a valued read, and this readability ensures that advertisers will benefit greatly from their investment.

Acquisition International launched in 2010, and has, over the years, evolved into a business title that professionals rely on to bring them the business knowledge, insight and news they need. Each month our magazine is circulated to in-excess of 85,000 professionals, including Top Tier Managers, Investment Professionals, Business Advisers and Service Providers.

As well as the monthly magazine, we also have a dedicated website as well as Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook pages, all delivering up-to-the-minute news to our engaged viewers. To share the benefit of our vast network of contacts who recommend businesses, products and solutions, we also have a number of awards programmes running throughout the year, commending the businesses doing truly great things within their respective fields of expertise.

Image Credits: Pexels

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