The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound effect on university students across the world. In a short period of time from 2020 to 2022, Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) had to pivot their modes of delivery to ensure they could meet the needs of their students. The move to digital platforms has been challenging for students from all ages, but particularly mature students. This study sought to explore mature students’ experiences of university during the COVID-19 pandemic through the lens of the Community of Inquiry (CoI) model. Utilising a qualitative approach, twenty semi-structured interviews were conducted with students from across the University of Warwick. The interviews were conducted by a staff member and a mature student during the pandemic and four themes were identified: Adapting to online learning, relationships, external factors and response of the university. This research study has identified that some participants responded well to the emergency situation, others had caring responsibilities which impacted on their studies but that peer relationships and collaborative learning is key to their success.

Successful induction has been evidenced to strengthen students’ learning, engagement and feelings of belonging. Technology offers opportunities for enhancing the student induction experience, especially pre-arrival, but has been under-utilised. This article provides an evaluation of an online induction learning resource for pre-arrival students in the Faculty of Arts at the University of Warwick in 2019. There will be particular focus on the method of co-designing the resource with a group of current students. The article will demonstrate how online learning resources for pre-arrival students can support successful induction. It argues that co-designing digital student experience resources in collaboration with students aids the development of materials that students find engaging and that co-design has a range of benefits for staff and students who are involved in the process.

The pervasive socioeconomic inequalities that exist in relation to higher education participation within the UK are notably prominent amongst the most selective, ‘elite’ universities, and could become wider still following the Covid-19 pandemic. This case study privileges the accounts of 11 young people from low socio-economic status (SES) backgrounds who were directly affected by the pandemic during their final year at school (Year 13) and who had all taken in part in outreach programmes that specifically aimed to improve access to such top universities in England. Through in-depth phenomenological interviews, this provides insight into the educational and life journeys of these individuals, including their experiences of the pandemic and their interactions with outreach programmes, helping to understand the influence they perceived these to have on their choices, aspirations and trajectories. Findings highlight barriers and challenges that could influence the demand for higher education, some which were amplified by the pandemic. These included issues related to individuals’ personal/home circumstances, finance, the schools they attended, but also issues associated with fit and belonging that have been shown to deter many low SES students from applying to top universities.