How the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) drives social mobility and university success

In June last year, we presented at the Russell Group Teachers and Advisers Conferences about the EPQ's role in promoting social mobility and emphasising the importance of collaborative partnerships for project-based learning between universities and schools/colleges. These partnerships are vital for meeting the expectations of regulators like Ofsted and the OfS. Supporting teachers in guiding students through the EPQ is crucial, as this qualification demands a distinct set of skills beyond those required for GCSEs, A Levels, or other post-16 qualifications. The EPQ asks students to be independent, curious, demonstrate critical thinking, recognise how their ideas are built on the ideas of others through referencing and weighing up evidence, and engage in and reflect carefully on their development over a sustained period of study, writing and/or making. These are exactly the skills that young people need to survive and thrive at a Russell Group university and our research and experience shows us that they help bridge the acknowledged equity gap created by previous educational experience and social, economic and cultural context.

What is the Extended Project Qualification?

Equivalent to an AS-Level, the EPQ is a Level 3 skills-based project qualification ‘designed to develop and extend students’ abilities beyond the A-level syllabus and prepare them for university or their future career’ (AQA, 2023). The qualification, offered by multiple exam boards, is non-examination assessed, and students can complete the EPQ alongside other Key Stage 5 qualifications including A-Levels and BTECs.

Students undertake a piece of independent research of their choosing to produce a final product, which may take the form of a written report/dissertation, investigation, an artefact, a performance or a design, much like the kind of work expected of students at university. The qualification is process-driven, and students are assessed on their ability to reflect upon their research journey and the skills they have developed, through the completion of a production log and presentation.

The Value of the EPQ and its role in Social Mobility

Research on student journeys at Leeds and Southampton reflects findings from across the sector that show the EPQ plays an important role in students’ transition to HE by improving access and success outcomes (Jones, 2015; Gill, 2022; Gill, 2024). Many students face inequalities in their HE journey, across three key factors: access, participation, and progression. The Office for Students (OfS) identifies unequal access to essential knowledge and skills for HE as a significant risk to equality of opportunity. This disparity can lead to lower attainment and limited subject choices at Key Stage 5, which consequently impacts progression rates to HE (OfS, 2023).The EPQ serves as a powerful vehicle for promoting social mobility by providing students from disadvantaged backgrounds with additional opportunity to acquire the knowledge and skills needed for successful HE. This qualification enables students to achieve A-Level and degree-level outcomes that accurately reflect the knowledge and skills necessary for accessing and achieving success in HE.

When students have completed an EPQ prior to studying at university, they are more likely to progress to HE compared to students without an EPQ (Gill, 2017; Gill, 2022; Gill, 2024). However, even when disadvantaged students are accepted into HE courses, prior unequal access to resources needed to develop essential knowledge and skills can impact on-course success (such as degree awarding and continuation rates) at university (OfS, 2023). Research at the University of Southampton has shown a five-year aggregated degree awarding gap of 12.6% between students from the lowest quintile/most disadvantaged areas (IMD Quintile 1) and the highest quintile/least disadvantaged areas (IMD Quintile 5) of the Indices of Multiple Deprivation However, this gap is smaller, at 6.3%, when students have completed an EPQ. 

Additionally, this research revealed a significant increase in the percentage of IMD Quintile 1 students awarded a First-Class or Upper Second-Class degree, rising from 78.5% without an EPQ to 88.1% with an EPQ. Similarly, University of Leeds’ data for 2017/18 revealed that among students from IMD Quintile 1 postcodes, 46% of those with an EPQ were awarded a First-Class degree, compared to 34% of those without an EPQ. We have recognised these awarding and continuation gaps at both Leeds and Southampton and are committed to addressing them through multifaceted intervention strategies (including our EPQ work) detailed in our respective Access and Participation Plans.

Meeting regulatory requirements: Ofsted

We talked in our Advancing Access Conference presentation about how the EPQ can be a unifying way for schools and colleges and Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) providers to work together to engage with the requirements of our respective regulators. With the Office for Students (OfS) encouraging HEIs to collaborate with schools and colleges on attainment raising initiatives, as a way of mitigating risks to equality of opportunity that pertain to access to Higher Education, the EPQ is one of the ideal vehicles to create meaningful partnerships. Similarly, as school leaders are expected to demonstrate to Ofsted that leaders are providing a curriculum that is ambitious and tailored towards the development of lifelong skills as well as knowledge, the EPQ is again an opportunity to demonstrate that stretch for students. 

Highly regarded by Ofsted, the EPQ can provide valuable evidence for their graded judgements based in Ofsted’s Education Inspection Framework. The EPQ enables providers to demonstrate a clear vision, ambition, commitment, and inclusive practices. It offers high-quality learning opportunities that enhance students' skills beyond the standard curriculum, equipping them with the essential abilities needed for future education, employment, and training. During Ofsted inspections of FE providers, key stakeholders, including HE providers as ‘skills stakeholders’, are invited to share their perspectives on several areas including the institution’s understanding of the skills required to progress and the extent of stakeholder engagement in course design and implementation (Inspecting Further Education and Skills). This is where partnership between sixth form colleges, for example, with HE providers via the EPQ can also be beneficial. For example, Ofsted congratulated Hills Road Sixth Form in Cambridge for its ‘highly ambitious, inspirational and effective’ curriculum, where the EPQ was praised ‘as a vehicle to develop students’ ambitions and wider skills’, a key part of the College’s preparation of students for their next steps (Hills Road, 2022).

Meeting regulatory requirements: The Office for Students

Our universities are mitigating sector-wide risks to equality of opportunity through multifaceted intervention strategies, outlined within our Access and Participation Plans (APPs). The include addressing gaps in Key Stage 5 attainment that impact students’ progression to and success in HE. Between 2024/25 and 2027/28, both Leeds and Southampton seek to increase applications, offers and enrolments of students from low socio-economic groups. Central to these efforts is providing EPQ academic skills support through partnerships with schools and colleges. The EPQ provides an effective strategy for improving access, participation and success at university for underrepresented students (Thompson et al., 2024). 

Partnership work and collaborative outreach programme

As educational institutions navigate evolving, similar challenges, effective partnerships between universities and schools/colleges are vital for enhancing opportunities for students, promoting educational equity and bridging the FE-HE skills gap. The University of Southampton’s Learn with US Transition team and the University of Leeds’ Education Outreach team provide free specialist academic and research skills support to enhance EPQ programmes in schools and colleges, as examples of welcome stakeholder partnerships. These widening access initiatives provide a range of embedded attainment-raising activities, including workshops and university campus library visits, prioritising institutions with high numbers of students from low socio-economic backgrounds. Both universities have pivoted away from one-off interactions to more meaningful, sustained collaborative partnerships. This approach will help bridge the FE-HE skills gap, improve KS5 attainment, and create equal opportunities for students from disadvantaged backgrounds to thrive in higher education and beyond.