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This is the third in a series of reports published by Universities UK and the Standing Conference of Principals (SCOP) charting the development of widening participation activity across the UK higher education sector. The study analyses 34 in-depth case studies (including a re-examination of the 23 previous case studies from the 1998 and 2002 reports) and evaluates their effectiveness in increasing access to higher education by disadvantaged young people. The report examines the policy context for widening participation in all four nations, and also includes a substantial analysis of recent data. One of the key innovations of this report is the focus on how institutions and partnerships have embedded their widening participation practices to improve both access to higher education and success within it. This is the main challenge now facing the sector as it moves away from a project-based approach--as seen in the 1990s when the first Universities UK/SCOP report was published--towards longer-term, sustainable processes and practices. Embedding widening participation across higher education institutions will depend on the development of more sophisticated tools for monitoring and evaluation, and measuring the impact of initiatives like those highlighted in the report. A key fact highlighted in the report is that the overall participation rate for young students in higher education with two or more A-levels or Highers is already approaching 100 per cent. The challenge remains to increase the number of students from disadvantaged groups achieving the qualifications required for entry to higher education, including the development of more robust vocational routes allowing for progression into the sector at different levels. Appended are: (1) Research methods; and (2) Types of widening participation interventions. (Contains 15 tables, 5 figures, 4 charts and 9 footnotes.)