In the UK today, graduates from the most competitive universities are more likely to access professional careers, have higher rates of life satisfaction, and earn more than non- graduates. But access to these life-changing opportunities is not equal.
And for disadvantaged students who do access the most competitive universities, their disadvantage does not disappear when they walk through the doors of their university. Students from disadvantaged backgrounds are more likely to drop out of their undergraduate course in the first year and 20% more likely to miss out on a 1st or 2:1 grade at the end of their degree than their more advantaged peers.
This stark disparity in access and success highlights the urgent need for targeted support to help disadvantaged students transition successfully into higher education, irrespective of the type of university, and thrive once they get there.
Join the Dots is a university transition programme designed to support students facing the greatest challenges in making a successful transition to university. It is targeted at students who are most likely to face barriers in making a successful transition to university, and who are at risk of missing out on the life changing opportunities that come from successfully earning a degree from a competitive university.
Students attending one of Join the Dots partner universities, and who meet targeting criteria, are matched with a PhD Coach from their university. Each PhD Coach supports up to eight students throughout their first six-months at the university. Through 1-1 and group coaching, students develop key university study strategies, academic self-efficacy and sense of belonging at university.
You can see the Impact Summary from the fourth year of Join the Dots here.
If you are a school/college that is interested in Join the Dots for your students, you can sign-up to UniPrep. Any students that sign up to this will automatically receive an email on results day with information on how to sign up for Join the Dots.
Drop us an email and we will get back to you in 2 working days.
The programme has helped me understand what it means to be an independent learner and my coach has given great assistance and feedback on my coursework.
If you are a student, email jtd@thebrilliantclub.org. If you are a school/college that is interested in Join the Dots for your students, you can sign up to UniPrep. Any students that sign up to this will automatically receive an email on results day with information on how to sign-up for Join the Dots.
For Join the Dots, we are particularly keen to support students who:
For 2025/26, we have confirmed partnerships with Birkbeck, University of London; the University of Bournemouth; University of Bristol; Buckinghamshire New University; Durham University; University of Essex; University of Hertfordshire; King’s College London and the University of Westminster. More partners will be announced in due course.
Our community of more than 1,000 PhD Coaches is what makes The Brilliant Club unique. Our PhD Coaches have either completed or are currently studying for a PhD at a Join the Dots partner university. Students will be matched with a PhD Coach working in their subject area who will support them with study skills and coursework.
Our PhD Coaches complete programme specific training, focused on Coaching and mentoring. Coaches are also introduced to basic tutorial pedagogy such as planning, questioning and assessment; aspects of classroom management; and codes of professional conduct. Our PhD Coaches are required to have a DBS check before they begin work on the programme.
I think Join the Dots has really helped me manage the transition from Year 13 to University by helping me become more independent through self-learning and how to take notes during lectures. The coach is also really friendly and helpful.