About the organisers

Find about more about the organisations making World Access to Higher Education Day happen.

Who is leading World Access to Higher Education Day?

World Access to Higher Education Day is organised by the National Education Opportunities Network (NEON), the UK’s professional organisation for widening access to high education, and is supported by NCUK, the trading arm of the Northern Consortium charity.

However, as a genuinely global event, the individual activities taking place on World Access to Higher Education Day will be led by their hosts.

National Education Opportunities Network (NEON)

National Education Opportunities Network (NEON)

The National Education Opportunities Network (NEON) is the professional organisation supporting those involved in widening access to higher education (HE). NEON aims to enable those working to widen access to HE at all levels and in all sectors to affect change in their own organisations and communities. At the heart of NEON is a cross-sector approach bringing together higher education institutions (HEIs), schools, colleges, the voluntary sector, professional bodies and employers.
NCUK

NCUK

NCUK is a consortium of leading UK universities dedicated to giving international students guaranteed access to universities worldwide. NCUK qualifications guarantee access to the Northern Consortium universities and are recognised by universities across the UK, including many in the Russell Group, as well as by universities internationally. Over the last 30 years NCUK has helped tens of thousands of students gain access to leading UK universities.

World Access to Higher Education Day Secretariat

 Professor Graeme Atherton

Professor Graeme Atherton

Director, National Education Opportunities Network (NEON)

Professor Graeme Atherton studied Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Trinity College Oxford and has been working in the field of education research and management since 1995. After six years leading Aimhigher work in London, he founded both AccessHE and NEON in the UK. He now leads both the Centre for Levelling Up at the University of West London and NEON. Graeme holds Visiting Professorships at London Metropolitan University and Sunway University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. He is a member of the European Access Network (EAN) Board and has produced over 120 conference papers and publications.

Martin Webster

Martin Webster

Operations Manager, NEON

Martin Webster has been working within widening access since 2001. In 2011, he helped to establish NEON, and later became its Operations Manager. He has regularly presented at conferences and spoken at other widening access events.

Planning Group

Collaboration is the key to making World Access to Higher Education Day a success. These organisations are aiding us in planning for the day and are located all across the world.

Asia-Europe Foundation

Asia-Europe Foundation

The Asia-Europe Foundation promotes greater mutual understanding between Asia and Europe through intellectual, cultural and people-to-people exchanges. The Asia-Europe Foundation was established in February 1997 by the participating governments and organizations of the Asia-Europe Meeting and has since implemented over 650 projects, engaging over 17,000 direct participants as well as reaching out to a much wider audience in Asia and Europe.
British Council

British Council

The British Council is the UK’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities. It creates friendly knowledge and understanding between the people of the UK and other countries. The British Council works with more than 100 countries across the world in the fields of arts and culture, English language, education and civil society. Founded in 1934, it is a UK charity governed by Royal Charter and a UK public body.
The University of Edinburgh

The University of Edinburgh

Founded in 1583, the University of Edinburgh is the sixth oldest university in the English-speaking world and one of Britain and Ireland’s seven ancient universities. The university is internationally focused and welcomes students from all corners of the globe, with the majority coming from China and the United States. Its students can also take advance of the Go Abroad Fund, which provides grants for 250 students to have a short-term international experience each year. Additionally, students are also encouraged to either study or work abroad as part of their course.

edX

edX

Founded by Harvard University and MIT in 2012, edX is an online learning destination and MOOC provider, offering high-quality courses from the world’s best universities and institutions to learners everywhere. With more than 130 global partners, edX members include world-leading universities, non-profits and institutions. EdX was founded by, and continues to be governed by, colleges and universities. It is the only leading MOOC provider that is both non-profit and open source.
National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education (NCSEHE)

National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education (NCSEHE)

Funded by the Australian Government Department of Education and Training, the NCSEHE’s purpose is to inform public policy design and implementation, and institutional practice, in order to improve higher education participation and success for marginalised and disadvantaged people. NCSEHE’s objectives are to be at the centre of public policy dialogue about equity in higher education and to assist in ‘closing the loop’ between equity policy, research and practice.
National Institute of Educational Planning and Administration (NIEPA)

National Institute of Educational Planning and Administration (NIEPA)

The National Institute of Educational Planning and Administration (NIEPA), is a premier organisation dealing with capacity building and research in the planning and management of education, not only in India but also in South Asia. In recognition of the pioneering work done by NIEPA in the field of educational planning and administration, the Government of India empowered it to award its own degrees by conferring it with the status of ‘Deemed to be University’ in August 2006.
The University of Campinas

The University of Campinas

The University of Campinas, commonly called Unicamp, is a public research university in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. Unicamp is consistently ranked among the top universities in Brazil and Latin America.

  •  It is the top Brazilian university in number of published articles per faculty member.
  •  It’s responsible for ~8% of Brazil´s articles in scientific journals.
  •  46% of graduate courses achieve top grades (ranked by CAPES/MEC).
  •  It is the top Brazilian university in number of patents.
  •  Ranked 15th: World´s top 50 universities under 50 years old.
  •  Ranked 2nd: Latin America´s top 10 universities (QS Ranking)
  •  Ranked 9th: top BRIC´s universities.
University of the Western Cape

University of the Western Cape

The University of the Western Cape is a national university, alert to its African and international context as it strives to be a place of quality, a place to grow. It is committed to excellence in teaching, learning and research, to nurturing the cultural diversity of South Africa, and to responding in critical and creative ways to the needs of a society in transition. Drawing on its proud experience in the liberation struggle, the university is aware of a distinctive academic role in helping build an equitable and dynamic society.

University World News

University World News

University World News (UWN) is an online publication that reports on higher education news and developments from a global perspective. It is published as a free weekly emailed newsletter and website with original reports by correspondents from around the world, as well as commentary articles by academics and professionals working or interested in higher education, and global summaries of higher education news, analysis, and features published by reputable newspapers, magazines, and higher education organisations. UWN comprises and is owned by a large network of senior education journalists from all regions of the world. It published its first issue in October 2007. UWN journalists report on the whole spectrum of higher education from top world-ranking universities to institutions in more marginalised parts of the globe where universities are not strongly reported.