Ahead of the Project Access 2025 Summit in London this Saturday, we caught up with Dr Emily Tomlinson, Director of Admissions and Trustee of Project Access to find out more about our partner organisation.
What is Project Access?
Project Access is an international outreach charity that provides free one-to-one mentoring and support for students from underrepresented backgrounds applying to top universities in the UK, US and EU. The charity was founded by undergraduates and undergraduates remain the driving force behind its activities and initiatives.
Why is it important?
Project Access is unique in engaging with high-achieving, low-opportunity university applicants from outside the UK, as well as within it. It has worked with teenagers from over 130 countries and students mentored through the programme become part of a world-wide access community.
How is Christ’s involved?
Members of Christ’s have been involved with Project Access since its launch in 2016; Ellie Wood, our Outreach Coordinator, was one of the earliest undergraduate mentors and I participated in its first in-person events before becoming a trustee. We work with Project Access on the cross-collegiate UK offer-holder mentoring scheme and Christ’s students and Fellows have been active both in its global outreach programme and in country-specific initiatives in Austria, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Italy and Poland.
What happens at the Summit?
The Summit is an opportunity for Project Access volunteers from around the world to meet, network, exchange ideas, and drive organizational strategy, as well as hearing from inspiring speakers from academia, business, government, and the not-for-profit sector – including, this year, the Master of Christ’s.
What impact has Project Access had?
Project Access has supported 6500 university applicants, of whom 85% secured a place at a leading university of their choice. Christ’s would not have been able to sustain diversity within its international intake, alongside its UK intake, without our partnership with Project Access and we are fortunate to have welcomed many Project Access mentors and mentees to the College.
Register to attend the Summit.
