About InsideUni and Ellie Cassidy

InsideUni is a student-driven initiative supporting young people from disadvantaged backgrounds to confidently navigate university applications. They empower their nationwide student community to crowdsource and share first-hand advice about applying to university, from choosing what to study right through to what the interview might look and feel like.

“I run InsideUni Hub, a centre of excellence that empowers university students across the UK to share their first-hand advice about applying to university. This way, disadvantaged young people who lack the same access to support and guidance as their more privileged peers can navigate university applications with confidence.  

I was one of these disadvantaged young people. I grew up in Liverpool in a working-class family, attending a small state school which had low progression rates to Russell Group universities. I began my journey with InsideUni at 17, using InsideUni’s first-hand student advice to help me apply to Oxford University. As a student, I volunteered and led the Oxbridge programme and since graduating from Oxford in 2022 I have run the Hub part-time while studying for my MA.  

I decided to apply for the Innovation Award to help us scale up our impact. I am so excited to be part of this journey, sharing my personal, experience-driven passion for social mobility. I know it will help us reach the 3 million state schooled students in the UK who don’t have equal access to the information they need when they're applying. I cannot wait to get started!” - Ellie Cassidy