Measuring the effect of Aimhigher on schooling attainment and higher education applications and entries

Aimhigher is a key government initiative to widen participation in higher education (HE). This article contributes to addressing a gap in the widening participation literature by measuring the effect of Aimhigher on compulsory schooling attainment, HE applications and HE entries. The research employs a new method based on multiple regression analysis carried out with the data gathered by an Aimhigher partnership. The results suggest that Aimhigher has had a positive impact on GCSE results and, especially, HE applications and entries; it is estimated that being targeted by Aimhigher is associated with an increase in the probability of entering into HE by about four percentage points.