Rebalancing digital equity through data‑led, collaborative intervention

The challenge

As digital tools have become fundamental to teaching, assessment and everyday student participation, access to reliable technology is no longer optional.

For many courses, students without consistent access to appropriate devices, software and connectivity are simply unable to engage, submit work on time or perform to their academic potential. This makes digital inequity not a marginal support issue but a direct threat to student success. Against this backdrop, traditional responses, such as short-term laptop loan schemes, are difficult to scale to sufficiently address the challenge of digital poverty.

Traditional responses can create:

• Gaps in provision, particularly for commuter students, carers, working learners, or those who need consistent access beyond library opening hours
• Administrative burden on IT and student services teams, who must manage device maintenance, circulation, repairs and returns
• Limited long‑term benefit for students, who lose access to essential technology at the end of the loan period, affecting employability and digital confidence.

Simultaneously, widening cost of living pressures and persistent digital poverty highlight the need for more sustainable, flexible and inclusive models of support.

The University of Manchester recently joined us at Digifest 2026 to talk about identifying the impact of digital poverty on the learning experience and the challenges and strategies we can take from 2024/25 digital experience insights surveys.

In 2023, the University recognised growing concerns around digital inequity among its student population. Through discussions within the Future of Student Computing Group (FOSC), it became clear that students’ ability to succeed was increasingly dependent on access to appropriate digital resources. However, digital equity was understood in fragmented ways across the institution, with no shared language or overarching framework to guide action.

Professor Caroline Bowsher, chair of FOSC, said:

"Understanding the impact of digital inequity has become a key focus of FOSC conversations and ensures we are considering more sustainable solutions to underpin all aspects of our students’ experience."

While there was ambition to introduce a university-wide policy, consultation revealed the institution was not yet ready to implement a formal policy approach. At the same time, national evidence showed that students from underrepresented and non-traditional backgrounds were disproportionately affected by the digital divide, with large gaps between Black students (74% in FE, 46% in HE) and white (41% in HE, 28% in HE) and Asian students (51% in FE, 46% in HE) citing digital problems being down to device availability. They were often relying on outdated devices, shared family equipment, or even mobile phones for academic work. Loan schemes and on-campus facilities, while valuable, did not meet the needs of commuter students, carers, parents, or those balancing study with work and caring responsibilities.

The challenge was therefore twofold: to establish a shared institutional understanding of digital equity, and to deliver tangible, immediate support to students most at risk of digital exclusion.

Solution

The University responded by developing a Digital Equity Charter, co-owned with the Students’ Union, shaped through collaboration with students and colleagues across the institution and endorsed by the University’s Senate. Rather than a policy, the charter provided a practical, values-led framework focused on three key pillars:

• Teaching, learning and assessment
• Access to hardware, software and connectivity
• Access to suitable study spaces.

The charter was launched in September 2024, supported by guidance to help colleagues embed digital equity into their practice. Crucially, digital equity and digital capability were also embedded within the University’s new Strategy to 2035, ensuring senior-level commitment and long-term sustainability.

Alongside this strategic work, colleagues successfully secured £100,000 from the Manchester Access and Success Fund to pilot a Digital Equity Voucher Scheme. The scheme targeted home undergraduate students from lower-income households and those with additional responsibilities or vulnerabilities, including care-experienced students, student parents and carers, estranged students and sanctuary scholars.

In its pilot year (2024–25), eligible students received £300 vouchers to purchase refurbished laptops, giving them ownership of a reliable device suitable for study. The scheme was delivered through leveraging data the University already held and working in partnership with an external supplier which ensured warranties sat directly with students and reducing administrative complexity for students and colleagues.

Abbie Hyde, access, student success and development officer, said:

"The digital equity scheme was implemented as a targeted, needs-led intervention to address digital access gaps. The laptop voucher model enabled the University to deliver timely support, while reducing administrative load, allowing for scalability and ensuring that support was distributed consistently and fairly across cohorts."

Student feedback was actively gathered and used to refine the scheme. In response, the University significantly scaled up investment for a second year, combining institutional and donor funding to provide over £900,000. This enabled:

• An increase in voucher value to £750
• Provision of laptops or iPad bundles
• Expansion of eligibility across more year groups
• Earlier distribution in the academic year

Emma Britain, student access, success and development manager, said:

“It was important to be able to take our learning from the scheme’s pilot participants and improve our offer to students based on that feedback. It’s wonderful to see the impact having access and ownership of these devices has for our students. Digital hardware equity is such an important tool for enabling our students to thrive in their education, and to be fully able to participate in increasingly digital-based co-curricular and employability experiences.”

Recognising the scale and complexity of digital inequity, The University of Manchester successfully adopted a multi‑strand strategy built around insight, collaboration and targeted investment.

Results

The Digital Equity Charter established a shared institutional framework and raised awareness of digital equity as a fundamental enabler of student success. It provided a foundation for coordinated action across teaching, infrastructure, student support, and widening participation, underpinned by strong senior leadership.

The Digital Equity Voucher Scheme delivered immediate, measurable impact. In its pilot year, over 300 students received laptops, with feedback showing:

• Improved ability to engage with learning and assessment
• Reduced financial pressure during the cost-of-living crisis
• A move away from reliance on mobile phones or shared devices for academic work

Notably, 22% of students reported they would otherwise have relied primarily on their phones for university study. In the second year, demand remained high, with over 2,000 eligible applications, demonstrating both the scale of need and the importance of targeted intervention. By 2025, almost 1,000 students had received new devices aligned with their course and study requirements.

Survey response from UoM student:

“[The scheme] saved me a good deal of money on a laptop which I think is essential for work and also very helpful due to difficulties in my financial situation. So it meant I could spend money elsewhere where needed”

Jane Mooney, professor of educational development and digital capability, and former chair of the Digital Equity Charter Group, said:

"Digital equity is a fundamental pre-requisite for students to be able to effectively engage with their entire student experience. Implementing enabling approaches can only be addressed through meaningful, strategically aligned and data-informed, cross-institutional collaboration."

What next?

The University of Manchester is now tracking longer-term outcomes, including student attainment and progression, while continuing to explore sustainable funding models and complementary support such as wifi access. Together, these initiatives represent a significant step toward reducing digital inequality and ensuring all students have the tools they need to succeed.

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