Student Success through Institutional Tertiary Alignment: Designing Coherent Pathways from College to University

While local articulation routes with Abertay University were well established, we knew that the lived experience for students was not always as seamless as it could be. Students were often required to re-navigate processes, repeat information, and rebuild their sense of belonging on arrival. For D&A students already balancing financial pressures, work commitments and increasingly complex support needs, these challenges could undermine confidence at a pivotal moment. 

It was from this position that Dundee and Angus College and Abertay University engaged in a QAA Scotland pilot project, Student Success through Institutional Tertiary Alignment: Pathways, Process and Design to Enable Student Success, to explore how a more coherent, aligned tertiary experience could be designed.  

From the outset, the project focused particularly on students supported through the Additional Funded Places (AFP) arrangements, recognising these individuals as a key group with a clear intention to progress to Abertay and therefore a readymade opportunity to improve transition and success. For D&A, our motivation was clear: progression should not depend on a student’s ability to overcome institutional barriers, but should be enabled through deliberate, coordinated planning and joint institutional working. 

From the outset, this work has encouraged us to rethink our respective roles. Rather than preparing students for university as a separate destination, we began to consider how we prepare students within a shared tertiary system. This required a shift from transactional partnership working to a model based on shared responsibility for student success, irrespective of institution. 

A central part of the approach has been a structured, cross-institutional review of the student journey, from pre-enrolment through to progression. Staff from both institutions, including curriculum teams, student services, planning and data teams, and two Students’ Associations, worked together in facilitated sessions to map the student experience in detail, with a particular focus on the experiences of our AFP students. These conversations created space for honest reflection and helped build the relationships and culture needed for meaningful change. 

What emerged was a shared recognition that many of the challenges faced by college students were not academic, but structural. Misaligned processes, differing timelines, duplication of information and uncertainty around student identity all contributed to issues in transition.  

From a college perspective, one of the most significant outcomes has been the strengthening and clarification of progression pathways. Through joint curriculum discussions in areas as diverse as Engineering, Sport & Fitness, Computing and Business, we have explored new collaborative delivery models, including 2+2 and 1+3 routes and the impact of HN Next Gen, while working together to identify opportunities for shared delivery and more effective use of resources and more efficient delivery of curriculum, particularly within areas such as Engineering. 

In parallel, there has been a strong focus on aligning institutional processes. One clear action is to further develop our data-sharing agreement to enable the secure transfer of key student information between institutions. It was identified that students are often required to repeat (and evidence) information about support needs, creating delays at the point of transition. By enhancing our data sharing, support can be planned earlier, reducing duplication and helping students feel known and supported throughout their learning journey.   

As institutions and colleagues we have strengthened our approach to joint recruitment, working more closely during key admissions periods, such as SQA Results day, to ensure that students are supported into the pathway that best meets their needs, whether at Abertay University or Dundee and Angus College. 

We have also seen meaningful progress in building a sense of joint and shared community. The development of an associate student model is creating opportunities for D&A students to access aspects of university life, including Students’ Association activities, societies and facilities. Alongside this, shared events and opportunities for representation are helping to demystify the university environment and support D&A students to begin forming connections well ahead of transition. 

A particularly impactful development has been the creation of a cross-institutional mentoring scheme. Supported through external funding, this initiative connects current Abertay students, who have previously studied at D&A, with college students preparing to progress. This has provided relatable role models and created a stronger sense of continuity between institutions. Early feedback suggests that this is having a positive impact on student confidence, helping learners to see progression as an expected and natural next step rather than an uncertain leap. 

Our joint working has also opened up new opportunities for staff collaboration and development. Staff from both institutions have contributed to joint teaching, curriculum design discussions and professional learning.  

Dundee and Angus College staff have engaged in university-led academic development, while Abertay colleagues have contributed to college practice in areas such as meta-skills and emerging pedagogies. A joint staff event focused on compassion, collaboration and community brought together over 80 colleagues and students, strengthening relationships and reinforcing a shared commitment to student success. 

Importantly, this work has moved beyond a time-limited project and into a more sustained partnership model. The establishment of a joint Dundee and Angus College–Abertay University Strategic Partnership Board has created a formal structure that will guide and develop this work.  This ensures that the changes made are embedded, rather than person dependent, and that further opportunities for alignment and collaboration continue to be identified. 

For D&A College, the impact is already evident. Students now have a clearer understanding of progression routes and greater confidence in their ability to succeed at university. Administrative barriers have been reduced, and there is stronger continuity in the support provided. Perhaps most importantly, students increasingly view university as the natural extension of their learning journey, rather than a separate step or transition into an unfamiliar environment. 

This work also strengthens our contribution to regional priorities. By creating clearer and more effective pathways into higher-level study, we are better supporting the development of the range of skills aligned to economic need while ensuring that public investment in education is used more efficiently. Our approach has demonstrated how collaboration between a college and university can reduce duplication, enhance provision and improve outcomes for learners and communities.  

Reflecting on this journey, Jane Roscoe, Director of Curriculum and Partnerships at Dundee and Angus College, notes: “From a college perspective, we have moved from preparing students to leave us, to working as part of a shared system where their journey continues. What has been most striking is how relatively small, practical changes such as aligning processes, sharing information and creating opportunities for connection can have a transformative impact on student confidence. We are already seeing students approaching transition with much greater clarity and a stronger sense that university is for them. The establishment of our Partnership Board and the mentoring scheme shows that this is not a short-term initiative, but the foundation of a long-term, strategic relationship that will continue to benefit our students and our region.” 

Luke Milllard, Vice Principal at Abertay University commented that: “The positive spirit of the partnership has been at the heart of this evolution.  The building of confidence and trust, that has seen the destruction of myths and assumptions, has been key to the willingness to change and a shared desire to help develop systems and approaches that enable our students succeed.  The legacy of this work is enshrined within the Partnership Board which will now ensure that we can continue to challenge and support each other in the best interests of our students.”  

Looking ahead, our partnership continues to develop. Planned activities include the further integration of curriculum design, expansion of mentoring and peer support, and ongoing evaluation of student outcomes to ensure that improvements are sustained. Both institutions are also committed to sharing learning across the sector, supporting wider ambitions for a more coherent tertiary system in Scotland. 

Ultimately, Dundee and Angus College and Abertay University have demonstrated that creating seamless transitions is not about asking students to adapt to different systems, but about institutions working together to design those systems more coherently.  

For D&A College, this represents an important step forward in ensuring that every student can progress with the confidence, clarity and  strong sense of belonging that will carry them through the next steps on their learning journey and on to a successful outcome.