UniSuccess

Building Institutional Capacity to Close the Awarding Gap

UniSuccess is a consultancy-led solution that supports universities to meet their OfS access and participation plan goals. We empower your teams to implement culturally responsive practices that improve student retention, reduce the awarding gap and build long-term institutional internal capacity.

We bring deep expertise in the lived experiences of black-heritage students and help your university translate this into impactful, sustainable action.

Why Focus on Black-Heritage Student Success?

  • 1 in 4

    students experience frequent loneliness, with black-heritage students reporting the highest levels—directly impacting retention metrics in your EORR reporting.

  • 54%

    of black households earn below £600 weekly, creating additional financial strain on students that can affect both access and continuation rates.

  • 23%

    of black people experience a common mental health problem in any given week, higher than other ethnic groups—a critical factor in addressing student success targets.

What we offer

    • A five-step consultancy model tailored to your university’s objectives

    • Stakeholder-led planning and success metric development

    • Research and insight generation to inform institutional strategy

    • Practical, actionable recommendations aligned with sector best practice

    • Knowledge transfer and training to build long-term internal capacity

  • We offer a flexible portfolio of training options designed to build cultural awareness and institutional confidence. This includes one-off workshops, ongoing programmes, and train-the-trainer sessions to build internal capacity.

    • Supports reflection on systemic barriers and unconscious bias

    • Promotes mindset shifts from “student deficit” to institutional responsibility

    • Ends with practical action planning for sustainable change

  • Our mentor training empowers mentors to confidently support their black-heritage mentees in a structured, informed, and culturally sensitive way.

    • Builds key mentoring skills to foster rapport, trust and open communication

    • Strengthens mentors’ ability to navigate real-world challenges sensitively

    • Encourages reflection and development of leadership skills

Our Approach

We act as both a strategic advisor and implementation support partner, working alongside your internal teams to design and embed solutions that are right for your context. Our consultancy focuses on:

  • Developing inclusive strategies grounded in evidence and equity

  • Supporting staff and mentors to better serve black-heritage students

  • Strengthening your institution’s internal capacity to sustain change

  • Meeting EORR requirements and OfS student success metrics

This approach ensures that change is owned and embedded within your institution—not outsourced.

“Christine and her team filled the gap between the university and the black-heritage students for us. In this way, we enhanced the connection with black-heritage students in our university.”

— Andy Adam, Outreach Project Officer, University of East Anglia (UEA)

Why Choose UniSuccess?

Let’s Work Together

Create lasting impact for your black-heritage students through a partnership built on reflection, strategy and sustainable change.

Check out Insight2Uni here.