Since its launch in 2018 World Access to Higher Education Day:
- Has held over 200 events in countries across the world with over 21,000 participants
- Attracted over 75 registered and institutional supporters
- Held conferences in Australia, The Philippines and the UK, attracting over 1,500 delegates
- Held a Global Conference series WAHED24 as part of WAHED 2020, which featured six conferences in continents across the World
- Published a major research piece – “All Around the World” analysing higher education equity policies in nearly 70 countries across the world and has recently published a follow up piece – “ASEM National Equity Policies in Higher Education” (2021)
On the day, a series of WAHED branded international and national conferences, local events and research are launched concurrently and a diverse range of activities take place. (Register a WAHED event here).
These include: webinars, debates, seminars, board meetings, awards ceremonies, university taster sessions, round-table discussions and conferences. A brief snapshot of a few of these events can be seen below:
Event Title: Pills on Diversity and Challenges for Academic Success on a Brazilian Campus & Seminar
Location: Brazil
Host: State University of Campinas
Event Overview
The COMVEST, a department of the Undergraduate Academic Programs for UNICAMP responsible for the selection of students, produced short videos (#wahedunicamp) presenting the experience of university students from different social, cultural and ethnic backgrounds in a Brazilian public university. The experience of affirmative action policies and the challenges to permanence and success in higher education will be emphasized, with the participation of black students, refugees, women, Latin Americans and public school students.
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Event Title: Student Leaders Commitment to Promoting Access
Location: South Africa
Host: University of Western Cape
Event Overview
During the Induction Sessions of the 2018/19 Student Representative Council (SRC), the Central Housing Council (CHC), the Sports Council and Post Graduate Students Council of the University of the Western Cape (UWC), the student leaders reaffirmed their pledge to work together to promote, access, diversity and success for UWC students. In support of the World Access to Higher Education Day, the student leaders expressed their messages via video clips.
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Event Title: Australia World Access to Higher Education Day Conference
Location: Australia
Host: National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education (NCSEHE)
Event Overview
The National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education held a very successful World Access to Higher Education Day (WAHED) conference on 28 November 2018. The event was opened by Professor John Cordery and Minister Tehan (via video) with 138 delegates attending from around Australia. Key speakers included Professor Glenn Withers, Professor Sally Kift, Associate Professor Maria Raciti and Professor Lesley Parker who spoke about the importance of equity in higher education and the important role of universities.
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Event Title: WAHED 2018 Pakistan – A week of Activities
Location: Pakistan
Host: British Council Pakistan
Event Overview
To acknowledge World Access to Higher Education Day 2018, British Council Pakistan organised a week of various activities. The week promoting WAHED specifically helped to develop tangible access goals to meet the 2030 Sustainable Development Goal of quality education and global prosperity set by the United Nations General Assembly.
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Event Title: World Access to Higher Education Day Philippines Conference
Location: Philippines
Host: Silliman University and British Council
Event Overview
The Philippines World Access to Higher Education Conference was organised by Silliman University and co-presented by the British Council in the Philippines. Silliman University, one of the oldest HEIs in Asia, organised this event to provide a platform for discussion and exchanges of best practices as well as strategic planning for the future – especially in the context of the 4th Industrial revolution. Located in a University town and having over 50 nationalities in its student population, Silliman together with the British Council welcomed the opportunity to strengthen its core program for Whole Person Education and internationalization.
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Event Title: Round Table with Professional Centres
Location:Seychelles
Host:University of Seychelles
Event Overview
This event consisted of a round table with feeder schools/institutions – namely the professional centres and School for Advanced Level Studies on the following theme: ‘making the University of Seychelles more relevant and accessible’. This was an opportunity for prospective students to comment on the programmes being offered at the university.
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Event Title:Supporting Success of Students on The Autism Spectrum: What are we learning?
Location: Australia
Host: University of Tasmania (UTAS), Social Inclusion Community of Practice
Event Overview
The University of Tasmania’s (UTAS) Social Inclusion Community of Practice and the Equity Practitioners in Higher Education Australasia (EPHEA) Tasmanian Chapter hosted an afternoon for academic and professional staff about the experiences of university students on the autism spectrum and support programmes.
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Event Title: National Network for the Education of Care Leavers (NNECL) Annual Conference
Location: United Kingdom
Host: National Network for the Education of Care Leavers (NNECL)
Event Overview
The NNECL conference brought sectors together to unite staff striving to champion the educational success of care experienced students. The focus of the conference in 2018 was Wellbeing and Belonging with a range of workshops and speakers following this theme.
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Event Title: European Students’ Union Board Meeting
Location: Belgium
Host: European Students’ Union
Event Overview
Board meeting and seminar of the European Students’ Union in Budva, Montenegro
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Event Title: Celebrating Success and Supporting Access to HE for the Future
Location: United Kingdom
Host: OCN London
Event Overview
OCN London held an event to celebrate the success of Access to HE learners and to look at how we can continue to support and develop Access to HE in the future.
As part of the celebration, their annual Michael Sargent Bursary Awards were presented. The Michael Sargent Bursary Awards celebrate learners who have shown outstanding commitment to study and academic achievement and always prove to be nothing short of inspirational!
As well as the Awards presentation, OCN London also looked ahead to the future of Access to HE with speakers including Julie Mizon from QAA.
As part of the celebration, their annual Michael Sargent Bursary Awards were presented. The Michael Sargent Bursary Awards celebrate learners who have shown outstanding commitment to study and academic achievement and always prove to be nothing short of inspirational!
As well as the Awards presentation, OCN London also looked ahead to the future of Access to HE with speakers including Julie Mizon from QAA.
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Event Title: Accessibility and Inclusion on World Access to Higher Education Day
Location: United States
Host: GlobalMindEd
Event Overview
This event was an online webinar with experts around the world addressing accessibility and inclusion in regards to access to higher education.
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Event Title: Widening Access to Higher Education: Prison University Partnerships
Location: United Kingdom
Host: Prisoners Education Trust
Event Overview
For World Access to Higher Education Day in 2018 Prisoners’ Education Trust (PET) hosted their first PUPiL event aimed at professionals working in widening access to higher education in the UK.
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Event Title: ASCILITE 2018 Conference
Location: Australia
Host: Australasian Society for Computers in Learning in Tertiary Education (ASCILITE)
Event Overview
The Digital Equity SIG is one of the Special Interest Groups (SIGs) which is run under the auspices of the Australasian Society of Computers in Learning in Tertiary Education (ASCILITE). The Digital Equity SIG organised a celebration to coincide with World Access to Higher Education Day 2018 with an emphasis on digital equity access issues in relation to entering and participating in higher education.
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Event Title: The Student Voice
Location: Ireland
Host: Cork Institute of Technoloogy (CIT)
Event Overview
CIT Access Service organised an event for second level Guidance Counsellors where they had the opportunity to meet with CIT students supported by the Access Service and hear their stories and personal journey through education.
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Event Title: Student-Generated Induction: A Social Identity Approach
Location: United Kingdom
Host: Shared Thinking
Event Overview
This event offered attendees the experience of a new social, participative and inclusive approach to student induction and transition. Delegates were given the opportunity to share issues relating to induction and transition practices as well as a chance to learn from others.
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Event Title: Montgomery College Student Voices What does accessing higher education mean to Montgomery College students?
Location: United States
Host: Montgomery College
Event Overview
To mark world access to Higher education day 2018, the Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Criminal Justice, the President’s Advisory Committee on Equity and Inclusion (PACEI), and E-Learning, Innovation, and Teaching Excellence (ELITE) hosted a dialogue for Montgomery College Students.
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Event Title: Celebrating barriers overcome to access higher education
Location:Cameroon
Host: Open Dreams
Event Overview
This event celebrated barriers overcome to access higher education by connecting high school students with higher-education students.
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In need of more event inspiration?
WAHED 2018 saw 40 events hold in 15 countries around the world with 4,424 participants.
View more snapshots of these events here
