This report draws on a synthesis of relevant research from the Higher Education Academy's Widening Access Student Retention and Success (WASRS) national programmes archive to explore what is currently known about the impact of finance on: students' decisions whether or not to apply to higher education; their experiences while at university or college; and their attainment at the end of their course.
This literature synthesis is one of six commissioned by the Higher Education Academy. They bring together the central themes in the research and practice legacy of the Aimhigher Lifelong learning Action on Access and What Works? programmes.
The syntheses draw on the literature in the WASRS archive on a number of publications produced by the HEFCE and on some external sources.
