Annual Access Conference

The Annual Access Conference is the UK’s largest Higher Education access conference for black students of African and Caribbean heritage. Designed specifically by the Oxford African and Caribbean Society, the conference addresses contextual barriers faced by black state-school students from disadvantaged backgrounds when engaging with Oxford and other leading institutions of Higher Education.

The AAC equips the next generation of African and Caribbean students with the tools they need to make confident decisions regarding their future.

A student’s educational experience is not purely academic; it exists as an intricate blend of social, economic and cultural factors that are often missed by our current state-school education system. The AAC was developed to bridge that gap. By leveraging the experiences and understanding of Oxford ACS members we deconstruct Oxford through a highly personalised social lens.

The result is a uniquely interactive conference that explores all the nuances of navigating the Oxford experience as a black state-school student.

The AAC Mission…

In 2016, of the black students attaining 3 A grades or more at A level across the UK only 35% submitted applications to Oxford University, with only 16.7% going to receive offers (compared to a 25.3% success rate of their White counterparts). If we focus on black students at state-comprehensive schools (the overwhelming majority of black students in the UK) the figures become drastically lower. Since Oxford ACS lauched the AAC in 2013, the percentage of black students admitted to Oxford has increased from 1.1% to 1.9%. Although we are happy of the progress we know that more needs to be done, particularly for the black students at state-comprehensive schools that are still being left behind.

While these figures shouldn’t be taken at face value, they reflect an unfortunate reality: for many students of African and Caribbean heritage, the idea of applying to Oxford is one that often feels alien and unattainable. Throughout their educational lives black students from disadvantaged backgrounds have been told, both directly and indirectly, that Oxford isn’t for ‘people like them’.

The AAC is our way of challenging that narrative.

FAQs

The AAC is more than a conference, it’s an interactive community. We ensure that our combination of panels, subject sessions and insightful talks are tailored to create the unparalleled, highly-personalised experience at the centre of the AAC’s success. Each session is structured to give students the opportunity to ask open questions and actively shape the conversation throughout the day.
Wait there’s more! Our engagement doesn’t end with the conference. We run exclusive application workshops for attendees throughout the year to ensure that they are able to put the tools they gain during the conference to effective use.
We want to make sure that everyone that joins the AAC community feels the support of Oxford ACS’s comprehensive support system.
We don’t have a strict set criteria for applicants – we want to encourage all students of African and Caribbean Heritage to apply, but here are some of the factors which we do prioritise:
• Promising academic performance (ABB+)
• Students eligible for UCAS in the 2022/2023 academic year or after
• Genuine interest in your intended course of study
• Economically disadvantaged backgrounds
• Attending a state-comprehensive school in the UK
• Students intending on being the first in their family to attend university
The Annual Access Conference specifically targets students of African and Caribbean heritage, as we have identified and wish to actively tackle the specific barriers hindering progress to Oxford and other Higher education institutions. In 2016, the success rate for Black applicants in 2016 was 16.7% compared to their White counterparts (25.3%).
We believe in engaging and empowering students from a young age with the tools needed to progress in Higher Education institutions and beyond. Representation is key for students attending university, but even more essential for students considering application. We have identified problems such as the lack of connection to relatable role models, the psychological perception of alienation at university and the lack of support preventing students of African and Caribbean heritage from aspiring higher and making confident applications to institutions.
Contextualised student engagement has always been at the centre of the access and outreach philosophy at Oxford ACS. While our long-term goal is to help develop structural solutions to issues of diversity within Higher Education and wider society, we also recognise that different groups face different barriers. As an ACS we can add the most value by focusing on the areas we are best equipped to engage with – the nuances of the black student experience. Diversity in education benefits everyone, but for us to achieve it we need tailored solutions that operate on both a personal and structural level.
Here’s some feedback from AAC 2023:
“Thank you for an incredible day. I've learnt a lot about subject lessons, life at Oxford and after Oxford, and I loved the guest speakers. I networked and now feel empowered to make an application.”

“All members of the ACS were really great, so welcoming and lovely. I really felt the warm atmosphere. The current president in particular was great. I really liked her and the community she welcomed us into.”

“The talks from Colleen Amos was very inspiring and puts into perspective what it is like to be a black student not only at university but also in the commercial world.”

“Both panels were very inspiring and showed me a different side to higher education and Oxford as whole. Throughout the whole day I was able to see the importance of ACS and societies to university experience as a whole.”

“All of the students were amazing! You are an inspiration and a credit to the community - thank you for cultivating cultural growth at Oxford and really working on making it as inclusive and achievable for us. Your efforts do not go unheard!”