Gary Neville’s University will now join the Office for Students’ official register of higher education institutions after been given the seal of approval by inspectors.

The University which first launched in 2017, (with students first welcomed in 2019) gives opportunities and access to disadvantaged students and aims to offer a unique curriculum to other Universities in the country.

The idea that disadvantaged students get a fair chance at higher education is fundamental to UA92 and a way they do this is by breaking down barriers that can prevent students from poor households from getting a degree.

Permisson given by:
Alexandra Mounsey

The Trafford based University was founded out of a partnership between Lancaster University and Manchester United’s The Class of 92, with Gary Neville taking a leading role.

UA92 offers a wide range of courses for students, including accounting and finance, business, computer science, media, and sport.

However, the University prides itself on delivering more than just a standard degree as students study character development skills including positive thinking, mental resilience and motivation.

This is a skill that is based on the Class of 92’s experiences under former Manchester United manager, Sir Alex Ferguson and is designed so that students graduate not only with the qualifications but the confidence and self-assurance to thrive in life.

Image permission given by:
Alexandra Mounsey

In a press statement, co-owner of UA92 Gary Neville was delighted with this positive step forward and explained what the University is aiming to provide for those less fortunate.

He said: “We created UA92 to offer an outstanding education to the people of Greater Manchester and beyond, and provide an alternative to traditional higher education institutions.”

He continued to say: “When you think that only 24 per cent of our students have a parent with a higher education qualification, against a sector average of 45 per cent, UA92 becomes special.

“Furthermore, one in five of our students come from communities with the lowest levels of participation in higher education.

“It’s why we are making high-quality education and robust character development accessible to people who might never have thought that gaining a degree was a realistic option.”

The Founding Principal and CEO of UA92 was also delighted with the news, saying: “We are incredibly proud to receive such high confidence from the QAA and to have joined the OfS list of registered higher education providers.

“This is a key milestone for UA92 and means students can have confidence in their academic experience and in the wider support they receive throughout their learning and development journey.”

The high confidence inspection result was also well received by the Mayor of Manchester Andy Burnham, who said: “I am very pleased to see that UA92 has received such a positive result from the QAA.

Having visited the campus and met staff and students, I’ve seen exactly how people from Greater Manchester are benefitting from the quality of education and emotional, personal development they offer.”

Burnham went on to praise the decision by the Class of 92 to offer 92 grants of £5,000 to people from Greater Manchester that have been financially impacted by Covid-19, to help them access higher education.

He said: “The Manchester Kickstart Grants, for example, are helping people who have been hit hard over the last few months to find new hope for the future.”

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *