Access to higher education (HE) by social background in England is profoundly unequal. These inequalities, however, are not confined to socio-economic background, nor just to entry into HE. Retention rates, degree outcomes, and post-HE employability all differ significantly by socio-economic background, gender, ethnicity and disability.This collection brings together leading contemporary thought and research on how to address inequalities in participation in HE across the “student lifecycle”. It highlights a broad range of widening access practice, including chapters on financial support, mature students, pedagogy, part-time study and evaluation techniques. In concluding, it argues that there is a need for widening access professionals, with an in-depth understanding of the learners with whom they work, operating at each stage of the students’ journey. This means that there is a crucial role for regional and national networks to enable these professionals to share practice and facilitate greater collaboration across the education sector to improve equality in higher education.