Skip to main content

Offering transformative education

Nicki Wedgwood, BSc Community Development and Public Policy student at her graduation.
Nicki Wedgwood, BSc Community Development and Public Policy student: from TV production to social researcher - see student case study below.

Birkbeck has provided a high-quality education to students regardless of their background or circumstance for more than 200 years. We foster an environment built on inclusion, access and opportunity that is enriched by our diverse community.

We offer a flexible approach to learning with options to study full-time or part-time; attend classes during the day or evening or a combination of both; and to choose between on campus, online or blended learning. This flexibility allows students to balance their studies with work, family and other commitments. Through thoughtful curriculum design, comprehensive support services and innovative use of technology and digital learning tools, we help students thrive at every stage of their higher education journey.

What have we done?

  • Reviewed academic and student support so it is consistent, transparent and accessible.
  • Developed a flexible teaching model that combines face-to-face, classroom instruction with online learning, supported by a high quality virtual learning environment (Birkbeck Moodle).
  • Developed an inclusive curriculum so that every student’s learning experience is equitable.
  • Significantly enhanced the way students can learn with us by installing HyFlex technology in classrooms, enabling students to study remotely and participate fully in classes alongside those in the classroom on campus.
  • Provided access to new virtual learning environments and experiences through immersive technology.
  • Introduced a highly regarded university-wide Foundation Year, for students who do not have the grades for direct entry onto our degree programmes.
  • Opened new student-focused spaces that support individual and group learning and wellbeing.
  • Encouraged more alumni to contribute their experience and skills to supporting current students.

What will we do over the next five years?

  • Enhance opportunity and accelerate student success by delivering inclusive, co-created education that enables learners from all backgrounds to thrive.
  • Cultivate vibrant academic communities and research-led teaching excellence that enrich the student experience while embedding skills development and deeper engagement with employers and external partners across the curriculum, to enhance employability and ambition.
  • Lead in the use of learning technology by further embedding HyFlex and immersive learning in our teaching; through our creative AI-enabled spaces; and by ensuring AI is used responsibly to personalise learning, enhance teaching practice and develop students’ digital capabilities.
  • Expand flexible, modular and part-time provision to meet the evolving needs of diverse learners and respond to the Lifelong Learning Entitlement.

Our success measures

By 2031:

  • We will have introduced five new subject areas into our teaching portfolio aligned with the Government’s Industrial Strategy and London’s Inclusive Talent Strategy including Chinese, Cyber Security and Public Health.
  • Where it is pedagogically appropriate, we will offer HyFlex delivery on 100% of postgraduate modules, as well as on our undergraduate programmes through continued investment in learning technologies.
  • We will ensure that the percentage of students who achieve a 1st or 2:1 is equal to or above the higher education sector average in London (78%).
  • We will ensure that the percentage of Birkbeck graduates in employment or further education is equal to or better than the higher education sector average for London (88%).
  • We will ensure that Birkbeck graduates have among the highest salaries in London one year after graduating maintaining or improving on their current position (eighth). (DfE LEO 2025).

Student case study

Nicki Wedgwood, BSc Community Development and Public Policy, 2025

“I started working in TV production after dropping out of university at 19 and eventually worked my way up to casting contributor for reality shows and conducting red carpet interviews. After a few years, I began wondering if there was a vocation better suited to my curiosity about people and the rapidly changing world around me, and so I explored that curiosity by studying at Birkbeck." Read Nicki's full story