Overview
This page introduces the range of outputs developed from the AES Project, highlighting how the research has informed publications, research-focused initiatives, and conference presentations.
The Academic Excellence Scholarship (AES) Longitudinal Study is one of the University of Kent’s key Student Success research projects. It followed the experiences of high-potential undergraduate students who entered Kent with strong prior attainment, including students from different ethnic, socio-economic and educational backgrounds. Through repeated interviews and questionnaires across the student lifecycle, the study explored what happens to high-achieving students once they arrive at university, and why differential outcomes can still emerge even among students who enter higher education with strong academic profiles.
The AES research paid particular attention to the experiences of White and Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic students, as well as the transition experiences of A-Level and BTEC entrants. Rather than assuming that attainment gaps are explained by student deficit, the study examined how institutional structures, learning environments, assessment practices, belonging, academic confidence, social capital, employment pressures, and access to support shape students’ capacity to thrive.
The outputs from the AES project demonstrate how longitudinal student voice research can inform institutional understanding, sector-facing scholarship, staff development, and practical student success interventions. Collectively, these outputs translate rich qualitative evidence into publications, conference papers and research-focused initiatives that support more inclusive, evidence-informed and responsive approaches to student success at Kent and across the wider higher education sector.