SWANSEA UNIVERSITY: 112 teenagers finish access scheme that cuts the grades they’ll need to get in

More than 100 teenagers from across south west Wales will need lower grades to get into Swansea University after finishing a year-long scheme for young people from groups less likely to go on to university.

The university says 112 Year 12 students completed Step Up to Swansea University this year. If they apply there, they will get a reduced grade offer for their chosen course.

Seventy of them celebrated at a graduation ceremony at the Taliesin Arts Centre, in front of their families and friends.

On stage, student Becky Evans said the biggest lesson was a simple one: “The most important thing I’ve learned from Step Up is that university isn’t something to be scared of.”

She said she had learned about the support available if you’re struggling, how to prepare and what to expect. “It has made me more confident about taking the next step,” she said.

Who Step Up is for, and what it involves

The scheme works with groups under-represented in higher education, including care-experienced young people and young carers, according to the university.

Students join in Year 12, take part in events through the school year, and finish with a four-day residential on campus over the summer.

Along the way they were supported by 15 current Swansea University students who had been through Step Up themselves, sharing what university life is really like.

Lectures next, and prizes for three

The support carries on into Year 13, when students will be offered the chance to sit in on first-year lectures, the university says.

Rebecca Griffiths, the university’s widening participation manager, said: “It was wonderful to come together to truly celebrate the work of our 2026 cohort.”

She said the team hoped it had “motivated and inspired these students to apply for university”.

Prizes went to Kalli Davies for the highest academic achievement, Xavier Wood for the highest attendance, and Alana Moreton for the highest engagement across the Reaching Wider and Step Up programmes.

Author

Alastair Isaac

Reporter for Swansea Bay News