At the start of the 20th century higher education was the preserve of a privileged, almost exclusively male minority. Today more than 30 per cent of people in the United Kingdom embark on some kind of higher education. Over half of university students are women, and greater opportunities for study at all stages of life are widely available. Recently the Government announced that it has the explicit aim of increasing participation in higher education to 50 per cent by 2010.;A number of issues need to be addressed, however, if government targets are to be achieved. Despite an increasing policy focus on progression to higher education in recent years, the participation rate has remained virtually static since 1996. Inequalities between the participation rates of students from different socio-economic groups persist. New arrangements for student financial support have deterred progression by students from the poorest socio-economic groups - the very students the government is targeting. This book examines the reality of gaining access to higher education, and considers the ways in which economic, social, political and individual factors work together to influence access to higher education.;Leading experts place access and participation in a broader theoretical context to address key issues, including: the changing context of higher education; challenging inequality; young people who reject higher education; student finance and the effect on participation; developing the applications process; creating frameworks for institutional change; higher education links with schools and colleges; and the experience of specific strategies for widening participation. The text should be valuable reading for all those working in schools, colleges and higher education with an interest in improving access as well as for curriculum developers, advice and guidance workers, education researchers and institutional managers.