Our Objectives

• Objective 1 (PTA1): Increase and maintain the percentage of Asian students at UON such that by 2028/29, the annual figure is within 5 percentage points (pp) of the sector 4-year average (15%).
• Objective 2: Annually monitor the level of GEM (Global Ethnic Majority) access at UON and maintain it at over 25% (42.5% 4YA).
• Objective 3 (PTA2): Increase the proportion of students from socio-economically deprived backgrounds (48% 4YA) to at least 55% of the UON cohort by 2028/29, measured using IMD Q1/2 postcodes.
• Objective 4 (PTA3): Reduce the access gap (31.6pp) between male (34.2%) and female (65.8%) students to within at least 8pp of the sector average (14pp) by 2028/29.

Risks Addressed: Knowledge and skills; Information and guidance; Perceptions of HE; Data and systems integration

• Objective 5 (PTS1): Reduce the GEM (65.2%):White (71.5%) continuation gap (6.3pp) by increasing Asian continuation levels (31.5%) to be in line with the rest of the GEM cohort by 2028/29.
• Objective 6: Annually monitor the continuation gap (17.2pp, 7.6pp 4YA) between students from the most socio-economically deprived backgrounds (59.9%) and the least deprived (77.1%), intervening if the gap exceeds 3pp of the sector 4YA (5.3pp).
• Objective 7 (PTS2): Reduce the continuation gap (20.3pp) between male (55.8%) and female (76.2%) students to within 5pp of the sector 4YA (3pp) by 2028/29.
• Objective 8 (PTS3): Achieve a target of 90% continuation (82.6% 4YA) at UON by 2028/29.

Risks Addressed: Knowledge and skills; Information and guidance; Perceptions of HE; Academic support; Personal support; Mental health; Data and systems integration

• Objective 9 (PTS4): Reduce the award gap (25pp) between White (78.3%) and GEM (53.4%) students to at least 5pp below the sector 4YA (11.3pp) by 2028/29.
• Objective 10: Annually monitor the award gap (14.5pp, 14.4pp 4YA) between students from the most socio-economically deprived backgrounds (58.9%) and the least deprived (73.4%), intervening if the gap exceeds 5pp of the sector 4YA (11.3pp).

Risks Addressed: Academic support; Personal support; Mental health; Data and systems integration

• Objective 11 (PTP1): Maintain positive graduate outcomes for GEM (71.9%) and White (75%) students and increase the outcomes for Asian students (65.8%) to align with the rest of the GEM cohort by 2028/29.

Risks Addressed: Academic support; Personal support; Mental health; Data and systems integration

• Objective 12 (PTA4): Reduce barriers to the declaration of disabilities at all stages of the student lifecycle, increasing the declaration rate from UON’s current 13% to meet the sector average of 17% by 2026/27.

Risks Addressed: Perceptions of HE; Academic support; Personal support; Mental health; Data and systems integration