Impact evaluation of the upReach programme

About the study

Young people from lower socio economic backgrounds continue to face barriers in higher education and the labour market. They are less likely than more advantaged peers to attend selective universities and, once enrolled, less likely to secure positive early career outcomes. These disparities persist even among high achieving students.

upReach was established to help reduce these inequalities by providing targeted employability support to undergraduates from lower socio economic backgrounds. The programme offers one to one guidance, skills development and employer linked activities. upReach commissioned NatCen Social Research to carry out an independent impact evaluation, funded by The Hg Foundation.

The evaluation examined whether taking part in upReach was associated with better early career outcomes for graduates from lower socio economic backgrounds. It compared outcomes for upReach participants with similar graduates who did not take part, using national graduate data.

The study focused on outcomes linked to upReach’s Theory of Change. These included highly skilled and full time employment, positive graduate destinations and earnings above the UK median graduate salary. A separate analysis examined outcomes for Tech500, a technology focused programme funded by The Hg Foundation.

NatCen also carried out an implementation and process evaluation of the upReach programme, reported separately. This explored participants’ experiences of the programme. Together, the findings strengthen the evidence on whether personalised employability support is associated with improved graduate outcomes.

Findings

The evaluation found that upReach participants achieved stronger early‑career outcomes than comparable non‑participants across employment, destinations and earnings. After accounting for differences in background and study characteristics, participation in upReach was consistently associated with a higher likelihood of securing positive graduate outcomes. Tech500 participants showed the same pattern, with larger differences across all outcomes.

Highly skilled full‑time employment

• upReach participants were 44% more likely to secure highly skilled full‑time employment than comparable non‑participants, with around 37% in these roles compared with 25%.
• Tech500 participants were 65% more likely to secure highly skilled full‑time employment, with around 42% in these roles compared with 25%.

Full‑time employment

• upReach participants were 30% more likely to be in any full‑time employment after graduation, with around 43% in full‑time work compared with 33% of non‑participants.
• Tech500 participants were 45% more likely to be in full‑time employment, with around 47% employed full‑time compared with 32%.

Positive graduate destination score

• upReach participants were 31% more likely to achieve a positive graduate destination, defined as skilled employment or higher level study, with around 43% achieving this outcome compared with 32%.
• Tech500 participants were 48% more likely to achieve a positive graduate destination, with around 47% compared with 32%.

Graduate earnings

• upReach participants were 62% more likely to earn above the UK median graduate salary, with around 34% earning above the median compared with 21%.
• Tech500 participants were 80% more likely to earn above the median, with around 43% compared with 24%.

Methodology

The evaluation used a quantitative quasi experimental design to examine whether participation in upReach was associated with graduate outcomes. The study compared upReach participants with a large group of non participants who had similar observable characteristics.

The analysis drew on national graduate data to measure outcomes after graduation. It used anonymised data from the HESA Graduate Outcomes Survey for graduates from English higher education providers between 2019 and 2023. Outcomes were measured around 15 months after graduation.

Statistical methods were used to improve comparability between participants and non participants. The analysis applied inverse probability weighting based on a wide range of characteristics, including university attended, subject studied, prior attainment, socio economic background, region, ethnicity, gender and disability status. This reduced differences between the two groups on observed characteristics.

The main analysis estimated the average effect of participation for those who took part in upReach. It used a doubly robust approach that applied the same covariates at both the weighting and analysis stages. A matched comparison analysis tested the robustness of the findings.

As the study compared outcomes for similar groups rather than randomly assigning participants, there were limitations. The analysis could not account for unobserved factors such as motivation or career aspirations. In addition, the findings apply only to graduates who completed the Graduate Outcomes Survey.