ABSTRACT
Widening participation in Higher Education has long been a concern both of institutions whose survival and growth might well depend upon it and governments (Thomas and Tight 2011). The labels used for it have varied over time (e.g. selection, access, widening participation, fair access) and between countries. The target populations in which widened participation has been sought have also varied, with women and those from lower social class backgrounds being of long-standing concern, groups such as older students and those from minority ethnic backgrounds becoming targets in the post-war period, and others such as those living in remote areas and those with a disability only recently identified as target groups (Tight 2009).
