World Access to Higher Education Day
From Global to Local: new solutions for higher education opportunity
24 November 2026: A global day of action
For WAHED 2026 we are looking to extend opportunities to galavanise the global higher education opportunity community. It is a critical time for those supporting first generation and other students as the global challenges facing higher education have local impact. This year’s WAHED will focus on how the global to local and how we can create new solutions to equity challenges.
WAHED 2026 will include:
WAHED @ EPHEA: our first WAHED hybrid conference in the Asia Pacific region in partnership with Equity Practitioners in Higher Education Association.
WAHED Africa: our first specific event focused on access and success on the continent that will have the most higher education students by 2040.
WAHED Europe and the Americas: leaders from across continents will showcase cutting edge practice and strategy.
Speakers at these WAHED events will be announced in the coming weeks
WAHED26: Europe and the Americas
WAHED26: Europe and the Americas will bring together a diverse, global community of speakers from three continents, offering a rich range of perspectives on higher education. The online programme will feature engaging panel discussions alongside paper presentations, creating space for dialogue, knowledge exchange, and innovative ideas. All sessions are centred on the theme “From Global to Local: Advancing Equitable Access and Success in Higher Education,” ensuring a focused and impactful exploration of equity and inclusion worldwide.
Registration will open on 20th July, 2026.
Meeting the AI challenge
AI is enabling a re-configuration of how we access and create knowledge in higher education while it opens up new ways of social engagement. We will be launching our landmark report on the relationship between AI and equitable access and success in higher education on WAHED. This study based on consultation with universities, colleges, policymakers and international bodies will be the first to examine the ways that AI can open up higher education for new groups of students while identifying the threats to equity it presents.
What has WAHED achieved?
350
Over 350 separate events held to recognise WAHED.
1,800
1,800 organisations engaged, including 1,000 universities
107
Delegates to WAHED conferences have come from 107 countries
WAHED across the world
Alongside our 3 events WAHEN members will be able to deliver their own activities under the WAHED banner creating the worldwide momentum and focus that can move our agenda forward.
Last year’s WAHED25 events included:
From policy to practice: Student equity at global, national and local levels
The Equity Practitioners in Higher Education Association held three compelling online panel sessions, where speakers explored student equity through global, national and local perspectives.
Insights & Innovations in Disability Support for Students in Higher Education
EUROSTUDENT Talks presented a special episode focusing on students with disabilities in HE across Europe. Researchers and student support professionals from Finland, Austria and Spain will come together to discuss key challenges faced by these students, institutional and national responses, and share successful practices for improving inclusion and access.
Conversations4Citizenship: Fighting Inequality in Global Higher Education
Professor Graeme Atherton joined the Conversations4Citizenship podcast to explore the evolving landscape of global higher education access, drawing on his leadership at WAHEN and Ruskin College.
