University Comparison
We know that each institution has strengths and weaknesses when it comes to accessibility so we asked disabled students about their experience. On this page you can see a snapshot of how disabled students at different institutions have responded in the Annual Disabled Student Survey. The results are from a sample of the institutions’ disabled students (see sample sizes below) and are not necessarily representative of all disabled students at the institution. The more students at an institution participate in the Annual Disabled Student Survey, the more representative their data will be.
We want to thank the countless disabled students and staff members who supported the dissemination of our survey. We now have data from 14 institutions with sufficiently high response numbers. Our goal is to include all UK Higher Education Providers in the comparison over time. Sign up now to be notified when it’s time to spread the 2024 survey within your institution.
The tables demonstrate how each institution’s results compare to the sector and to the 2033 goals, using the following colour code:
As we move closer to 2033 we want to see these tables turn green – so that no matter which university you attend you will have the same opportunities as a non-disabled student.
Below we take a look at what we consider one of the most important questions in the survey – whether students feel they have enough support. After this we look at one key question concerning each of the 6 Principles of The Disabled Student Experience.
Summary Question
Proportion of disabled students who feel that they have the support and adjustments they need to be able to access their studies on equal terms with non-disabled peers
| 2023 | 2024 | |
| 2033 goal | 75% agree | |
| London South Bank University | 53% agree (15% disagree) | |
| University of Leicester | 48% agree (29% disagree) | |
| Bath Spa University | 47% agree (19% disagree) | |
| University of Bath | 47% agree (25% disagree) | |
| Heriot-Watt University | 47% agree (40% disagree) | |
| University of Exeter | 44% agree (36% disagree) | |
| University of Manchester | 43% agree (44% disagree) | |
| Canterbury Christ Church University | 39% agree (41% disagree) | |
| University of East Anglia | 38% agree (32% disagree) | |
| 2024 UK wide | 37% agree (36% disagree) | |
| 2023 UK wide | 37% agree (47% disagree) | |
| Oxford University | 34% agree (52% disagree) | |
| University College London | 32% agree (59% disagree) | |
| University of Plymouth | 31% agree (44% disagree) | |
| Royal Holloway | 31% agree (46% disagree) | |
| Cambridge University | 27% agree (55% disagree) | |
✩ Universities with this star are members of the Access Insights project, meaning that they are investing in understanding the situation so that they can improve the experience for their disabled students.
Principle 1: Universal Design
Proportion of disabled students who had a majority of their lectures recorded in the last year
| 2023 | 2024 | |
| University of Exeter | 94% | |
| University of Bath ☆ | 92% | |
| University of Leicester | 83% | |
| 2033 goal | 80% | |
| Oxford University | 74% | |
| University of Plymouth | 72% | |
| University of Manchester | 70% | |
| Cambridge University | 68% | |
| University of East Anglia | 65% | |
| 2024 UK wide | 63% | |
| Canterbury Christ Church University | 62% | |
| 2023 UK wide | 62% | |
| Bath Spa University | 53% | |
| Royal Holloway | 43% | |
| University College London | 43% | |
| London South Bank University ☆ | 39% | |
| Heriot-Watt University | 34% | |
Principle 2: An Inclusive Culture
Proportion of disabled students who have been made to feel unwelcome at their institution by a staff member due to their disability
| 2023 | 2024 (coming soon) | |
| 2033 goal | 5% yes | |
| University of Leicester | 9% yes | |
| University of Bath ☆ | 11% yes | |
| London South Bank University ☆ | 12% yes | |
| Bath Spa University | 13% yes | |
| University of East Anglia | 15% yes | |
| Heriot-Watt University | 15% yes | |
| University of Exeter | 15% yes | |
| Oxford University | 18% yes | |
| Royal Holloway | 20% yes | |
| University of Plymouth | 21% yes | |
| University College London | 22% yes | |
| 2023 UK wide | 24% yes | |
| 2024 UK wide | 25% yes | |
| Canterbury Christ Church University | 26% yes | |
| University of Manchester | 30% yes | |
| Cambridge University | 37% yes | |
Principle 3: A Barrier-free Path to Support
Proportion of disabled students who have been provided with enough information about different adjustments
| 2023 | 2024 | |
| 2033 goal | 75% yes | |
| London South Bank University ☆ | 67% yes | |
| Bath Spa University | 63% yes | |
| University of Bath ☆ | 60% yes | |
| University of East Anglia ☆ | 55% yes | |
| 2024 UK wide | 53% | |
| Heriot-Watt University | 51% yes | |
| University of Leicester | 50% yes | |
| University of Manchester | 49% yes | |
| University of Exeter | 48% yes | |
| Oxford University | 47% yes | |
| Canterbury Christ Church University | 47% yes | |
| Royal Holloway | 47% yes | |
| 2023 UK wide | 47% yes | |
| Cambridge University | 45% yes | |
| University College London | 39% yes | |
| University of Plymouth | 39% yes | |
Principle 4: Sufficient Adjustments
Proportion of disabled students who have had all their agreed adjustments provided
| 2023 | 2024 | |
| 2033 goal | 80% | |
| University of Leicester | 55% | |
| University of Bath ☆ | 52% | |
| Royal Holloway | 51% | |
| Oxford University | 51% | |
| University of Plymouth | 48% | |
| Bath Spa University | 48% | |
| University of Manchester | 47% | |
| London South Bank University ☆ | 46% | |
| University of East Anglia | 43% | |
| Canterbury Christ Church University | 40% | |
| 2024 UK wide | 39% | |
| 2023 UK wide | 38% | |
| Heriot-Watt University | 37% | |
| University of Exeter | 37% | |
| Cambridge University | 35% | |
| University College London | 28% | |
Principle 5: Somewhere to Turn
Proportion of disabled students who have somewhere to turn to resolve their access barriers
| 2023 | 2024 | |
| Bath Spa University | 77% agree (6% disagree) | |
| University of Leicester | 75% agree (11% disagree) | |
| 2033 goal | 75% agree | |
| London South Bank University ☆ | 74% agree (5% disagree) | |
| University of Bath ☆ | 72% agree (8% disagree) | |
| University of East Anglia | 72% agree (9% disagree) | |
| Oxford University | 70% agree (17% disagree) | |
| Royal Holloway | 67% agree (13% disagree) | |
| Cambridge University | 67% agree (17% disagree) | |
| 2024 UK wide | 67% agree (13% disagree) | |
| Heriot-Watt University | 62% agree (14% disagree) | |
| University of Plymouth | 62% agree (16% disagree) | |
| 2023 UK wide | 61% agree (16% disagree) | |
| University of Exeter | 59% agree (16% disagree) | |
| University of Manchester | 58% agree (18% disagree) | |
| University College London | 56% agree (18% disagree) | |
| Canterbury Christ Church University | 51% agree (21% disagree) | |
Principle 6: Equal Opportunities
Proportion of disabled students who feel part of a community at their university
| 2023 | 2024 | |
| 2033 goal | 65% agree | |
| Cambridge University | 63% agree (23% disagree) | |
| Oxford University | 62% agree (14% disagree) | |
| University of Bath ☆ | 54% agree (18% disagree) | |
| University of East Anglia | 50% agree (23% disagree) | |
| Cambridge University | 50% agree (25% disagree) | |
| 2024 UK wide | 50% agree (25% disagree) | |
| Bath Spa University | 49% agree (25% disagree) | |
| London South Bank University ☆ | 46% agree (15% disagree) | |
| University of Plymouth | 43% agree (35% disagree) | |
| University of Manchester | 43% agree (38% disagree) | |
| 2023 UK wide | 43% agree (33% disagree) | |
| University of Exeter | 42% agree (37% disagree) | |
| Royal Holloway | 41% agree (39% disagree) | |
| Canterbury Christ Church University | 40% agree (30% disagree) | |
| University of Leicester | 40% agree (34% disagree) | |
| University College London | 38% agree (36% disagree) | |
| Heriot-Watt University | 35% agree (47% disagree) | |
Would you like to see your university’s full results?
This comparison is only a snapshot of the Annual Disabled Student Survey results for each institution. Institutions that become Access Insights Members can receive a full institution-specific report. Access Insights Members are marked with a star (✩) in the tables above. Access Insights Membership has been recommended by the Disabled Students Commission as part of the Disabled Students’ Commitment.
A note on statistics
All institutions with more than 45 survey respondents have been included in the University Comparison. If an institution has data from more than one year, only the latest data is included. To improve comparison between institutions, each sample has been weighted to achieve the same gender balance as the UK wide sample. The unweighted samples can be found in the 2024 Access Insights Report.
Sample sizes:
- University of Bath ☆ n=320
- University of East Anglia n=188
- University of Manchester n=102
- Cambridge University n=88
- London South Bank University ☆ n=82
- University College London n=80
- University of Exeter n=79
- Canterbury Christ Church University n=70
- University of Plymouth n=64
- University of Leicester n=56
- Bath Spa University n=59
- Oxford University n=48
- Royal Holloway n=47
- Heriot-Watt University n=46