Abstract: | The article sketches the centrality of 'access' to Government thinking but questions the compatibility of this ideological commitment with the current funding regime. Whilst focussing upon the success of 'access courses' in promoting alternative, high quality routes to higher education it indicates the depth of cultural and institutional change required if access and mass higher education are to become realities. By clearly distinguishing between expansion and opening access, the article makes some pragmatic suggestions as to how the latter can be achieved. |