Members
UALL members are institutions and individuals who share a commitment to lifelong learning, and who have and understanding of the importance of access to higher education at all times of life.
We are colleagues, researchers, thinkers, administrators and academics working together to share the knowledge and resources needed to serve adult learners in higher education. Institutional members are listed below.
Bangor University
Bangor University offers short courses and CPD courses, to help adult learners enhance professional skills, re-skill, or simply learn something new. Academic experts and industry professionals deliver an innovative and flexible short courses both on-campus and online.
Birkbeck University of London
Birkbeck University of London provides high quality, flexible education through a blend of face-to-face events and modern digital learning, meeting the changing educational, cultural, personal and career needs of students of all ages (particularly those who live or work in the London region) as well as those who combine study with work, caring or other commitments. The university provides access routes for students of all ages from diverse social and educational backgrounds to participate fully.
Bishop Grosseteste University
Bishop Grosseteste University offers apprenticeships, doctoral study, and foundation and honours degrees at undergraduate and postgraduate level. This includes multiple routes into teaching such as BA, BSc and Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE). As well as joint honours options, many subjects can be studied as major/minor combinations. Teaching is through lectures, seminars, workshops, practicals and work-related placements.The university awards foundation degrees in education, childhood and youthwork, BA degrees in 17 subjects, including primary education, SENDI and early childhood studies, and BSc degrees in 4 subjects. As well as degrees with QTS, the university awards PGCEs, MA degrees in 8 subjects and doctorates. Doctoral study (conducted in partnership with the University of Leicester) leads to either a PhD or an EdD. In 2023 the University ranked 3rd in the UK for Graduate Prospects at the Whatuni Student Choice Awards.
Dr Sacha Mason is Head of Programmes for Education, Health and Lifelong Learning.
University of Bristol
Brunel University London
Brunel University London is a public research university located in the Uxbridge area of London, England. Brunel’s three constituent Academic Colleges include the College of Business, Arts and Social Sciences; the College of Engineering, Design and Physical Sciences; and the College of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences. The university has over 16,150 students and 2,500 staff, and an annual income of £271.3 million (2021-22), of which £22.4 million was from research grants and contracts, with an expenditure of £311.9 million. BUL is ranked as one of the top 350 universities in the world by QS World University Rankings and in the top 100 by the 2023 Annual Impact Times Higher Education World University Rankings.
Mature students | Brunel University London
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. The university has a department dedicated to providing continuing education, the Institute of Continuing Education. Its award-bearing programmes include both undergraduate certificates and part-time master’s degrees.The institute (ICE) has an annual enrolment of over 6,000 students, including around 1,000 students from over 60 countries who attend the University of Cambridge’s annual international summer programme. Students can choose from around 250 different courses across three broad disciplinary themes: Arts and Sciences; Creative Writing and English Literature; and Professional Studies.
Cardiff University
Cardiff University (Welsh: Prifysgol Caerdydd) is a public research university in Cardiff, Wales.The 26 academic schools of the university are divided into three colleges: Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences; Biomedical and Life Sciences; and Physical Sciences.In 2022, it had 33, 985 students enrolled, making it the 16th largest university in the UK. It has a dedicated programme of funded, lifelong learning.
University of Chester
The University of Chester is a public university located in Chester, England. The university originated as the first purpose-built teacher training college in the UK. As a university, it now occupies five campus sites in and around Chester, one in Warrington, and a University Centre in Shrewsbury. It offers a range of foundation, undergraduate and postgraduate courses, as well as undertaking academic research. With 14,900 students, it also welcomes adult learners and professionals through its offer of Professional Development and Business Growth.
https://www1.chester.ac.uk/study/professional-development
Durham University
Durham University is located in Durham, England. It is made up of 17 colleges, offering over 330 undergraduate and postgraduate courses via 26 departments, to its 20, 268 students.
Hong Kong Metropolitan University
Established by the Hong Kong Government in 1989 as a provider of distance education, HKMU began offering full-time programmes in 2001. Over the years we have grown into a leader in open and flexible education in the Asia Pacific region, and our full-time face-to-face programmes for qualified secondary school leavers are on par with other established universities across Hong Kong. HKMU today is a young, dynamic, full-fledged university.
University of Leeds
The University of Leeds Lifelong Learning Centre is both a multi-disciplinary school running undergraduate courses, and a specialist service supporting mature and part-time learners across the University. We deliver courses that encourage and support student diversity, with a focus on students from under-represented groups or who don’t have traditional qualifications. We also offer support to current and prospective mature, part-time and Foundation level students, and apprentices. This is done through offering one-to-one advice and guidance sessions, open days and subject events to help adult learners decide pathways into higher education.
University of Lincoln
Situated in the heart of a historic city on the beautiful Brayford Pool Waterfront, the University of Lincoln is proud of its reputation for putting students at the heart of everything it does. We are ranked in the top 30 UK universities for student satisfaction in the Guardian University Guide 2023, listed in the world’s top 130 universities in the Times Higher Education’s (THE) Young University Rankings 2022, and hold a top five-star score overall in the QS Stars rating system of global universities.
University of Liverpool
The University of Liverpool is a founding member of the Russell Group, a group of 24 research-led universities in the UK. Today it is a community of over 31,000 students, drawn from the UK and across the globe. Known for being “the original redbrick”, its ethos is rooted in excellent teaching and world leading research combined to create life-changing experiences for students and to tackle the biggest challenges facing the world today. It was awarded TEF gold in the Teaching Excellence Framework 2023, and 91% of its research was deemed world leading or internationally excellent in the Research Excellence Framework 2021. It comprises three faculties, spanning a broad range of teaching and research in the arts and sciences. The University’s commitment to lifelong learning is reflected in its vibrant Continuing Education Department and Open Languages programme, the highly successful Go Higher Humanities Access Diploma and Health and Life Sciences Foundation, as well as other offers for mature learners.
Middlesex University London
Middlesex University London is a public research university in Hendon, northwest London, England. Middlesex has a student body of over 19,000 in London and over 37,000 globally. The university has student exchange links with over 100 universities in 22 countries across Europe, the United States, and the world. Courses are delivered by the Faculty of Science and Technology, Faculty of Professional and Social Sciences, and the Faculty of the Arts and Creative Industries.
Newcastle University
Newcastle University is a UK public research university based in Newcastle upon Tyne, North East England with overseas campuses in Singapore and Malaysia. The university subdivides into three faculties: the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences; the Faculty of Medical Sciences; and the Faculty of Science, Agriculture and Engineering. The Education for Life strategy puts an increased emphasis on lifelong learning and flexible learning provision for a diverse learner population. With the establishment of the Lifelong Learning and Apprenticeship Hub, the University is committed to develop innovative and flexible apprenticeships, part-time and short courses in partnership with employers and FE colleges.
University of Nottingham
Based in Nottingham, England, University of Nottingham is organised into five constituent faculties, within which there are more than 50 schools, departments, institutes and research centres. Nottingham has more than 46,000 students and 7,000 staff across the UK, China and Malaysia.The University of Nottingham traces its origins to the founding of an adult education school in 1798. In 1875, an anonymous donor provided £10,000 to establish the work of the Adult Education School on a permanent basis, and the Corporation of Nottingham agreed to erect and maintain a building for this purpose and to provide funds to supply the instruction.
Open University
The Open University (OU) is a public research university and the largest university in the United Kingdom by number of students. The majority of the OU’s undergraduate students are based in the United Kingdom and principally study off-campus; many of its courses (both undergraduate and postgraduate) can also be studied anywhere in the world. With more than 205,420 students enrolled, including around 34% of new undergraduates aged under 25 and more than 8,802 overseas students,it is the largest academic institution in the United Kingdom (and one of the largest in Europe) by student number, and qualifies as one of the world’s largest universities.
University of Oxford
Oxford University Department of Continuing Education provides opportunities for people from a wide variety of backgrounds to benefit from the University’s resources. More than 15,000 adult learners annually are enrolled on flexible, part-time courses at the University of Oxford, on more than 1000 courses and programmes offered through this Department. Oxford’s collegiate home for lifelong learning is Kellogg, whose 300 full-time students are joined by over 1000 studying for their degrees on a part-time, flexible basis.
Oxford Brookes University
Oxford Brookes University has over 150 years of history. We started out as a small School of Art in borrowed teaching rooms and have grown into one of the UK’s top modern universities with a local, national and international reputation for teaching and research excellence. We pride ourselves on providing an inclusive learning environment within which all students are supported to enable them to achieve their ambitions and beyond. As well as our wide range of full-time on campus degrees, many of our courses can be studied part-time and some are available via distance learning. We also work with other organisations to deliver our degrees within local communities across the UK. Our partners include further education colleges and large national providers. Through our apprenticeships we support individuals to work alongside gaining a higher level qualification, and in this way provide a route into degree level study for those who would not otherwise be able to access it.
University of Sheffield
The Department for Lifelong Learning plays a central role in the University of Sheffield’s continued commitment to mature learners. We offer degrees with a foundation year to students aged 21 or over, who don’t have the standard entry qualifications needed to apply for most degree courses. Our students can choose from over 40 different degree pathways, across the Humanities, Sciences and Social Sciences. We also support prospective mature learners through our outreach and events programme, enabling applicants to build confidence and skills prior to entry to our programmes. Our staff have many years experience teaching and advising mature students, and are passionate about seeing them succeed whatever their background and educational journey.
University of Wales Trinity St David
The University of Wales Trinity Saint David (UWTSD) was formed on 18 November 2010 through the merger of the University of Wales Lampeter and Trinity University College Carmarthen, under Lampeter’s Royal Charter of 1828. The University’s main campuses are situated in various locations in and around Swansea’s city centre as well as in the rural towns of Lampeter and Carmarthen in South West Wales.
University of Warwick
For more than 30 years, the university’s Centre for Lifelong Learning has been a centre of expertise in the education of lifelong learners in different contexts, with a focus on enabling adult learners to achieve their personal and professional goals by accessing a Warwick education, irrespective of background.
University of Wolverhampton
University of Wolverhampton Access and Lifelong Learning is the centre of expertise for widening participation in higher education with a commitment to continue to develop innovative and flexible part-time courses to provide adult and lifelong learning opportunities in the community, the workplace and for individual learners. There are a wide range of organisations working in partnership to place learning at the heart of the city to tackle social and economic challenges using education and learning as the focus.
University of York
York is a collegiate university and has eleven colleges. All colleges have equal status, and each has its own constitution.The colleges are deliberately assigned undergraduates, postgraduate students and staff from a wide mixture of disciplines. The Centre for Lifelong Learning offers a range of courses for learners who are looking for an accredited course or to study for pleasure.