Carbon neutral

Our commitment to

social justice
and   sustainable
development

Our vision

Motivated by society’s challenges and inspired by the power of our global community, we are shaping a fairer, brighter and carbon neutral future

Our values

We are inclusive, empowering and progressive

At the heart of our University’s vision and values is our commitment to social justice, equality, inclusion and sustainable development. This commitment pervades our education, research, knowledge exchange and civic engagement, and the culture, policies and working practices of our University community.

 

#MyPlasticPledge volunteers
  • 1. Our education develops socially responsible and globally competent citizens
  • 2. We are committed to providing inclusive access to transformative higher education
  • 3. Our research tackles injustices and shapes just and sustainable change
  • 4. We draw strength from the diversity of our inclusive community
  • 5. We are a University of Sanctuary
  • 6. We will be carbon neutral by 2027

  • We are committed to delivering programmes that are informed by excellent research and which equip our graduates with the skills for lifelong careers and the drive to shape a just and sustainable future.

    We are working to integrate our vision throughout the student experience, seeking to ensure that our curricula are inclusive, decolonised and support diverse learner needs.

    We are committed to ensuring that every student engages meaningfully with their role in shaping a fairer, brighter and carbon neutral future, using the UN Sustainable Development Goals as a common framework across all programmes to aid understanding and inspire action.

  • As the only university in a region where three in five neighbourhoods are classed as areas of low higher education participation, we are proud to serve the educational needs of our place, raising aspirations and empowering individuals to achieve their potential.1

    We perform strongly against national benchmarks for a range of widening participation and access performance indicators, and we continue to set ourselves challenging targets for continued improvement.2

    We are committed to fairness and transparency in admissions—we value the entire person, looking not just at qualifications but also at experiences and skills and, foremost, for the motivation and determination to succeed while studying with us.

    We are a signatory of the Social Mobility Pledge, a member of the National Network for the Education of Care Leavers, a Standalone champion institution committed to supporting students who are estranged from their families and a signatory of the GTRSB into HE pledge to support students from the Gypsy, Traveller, Roma, Showman and Boater communities access and succeed in higher education.

  • We are a research-led university, committed to delivering excellent, innovative and impactful research that makes a positive difference.

    We are supporting governments, businesses and communities to eradicate modern slavery and human trafficking.

    Our research gives a voice to disengaged or disadvantaged people and communities, such as young people in care or the victims of domestic abuse.

    We are tackling health inequalities, whether helping to identify the early stages of the life-threatening illnesses, such as cancer, heart disease and dementia, that are major contributors to the high mortality rates in our region, or pioneering new rapid diagnostic tools for the maternal infections responsible for high rates of childbirth complications in Kenya.

    We are driving innovation and skills development in the offshore wind sector, tackling the impact of pollution on our oceans and helping communities living near water, from the Humber to the Mekong in Vietnam, develop greater flood awareness and resilience.

    Find out more about how our research tackles injustices and shapes change.

  • We celebrate our differences and stand united against intolerance, ignorance and discrimination in all its forms. But we also recognise that there is more we need to do to tackle structural inequalities and to ensure that every member of our University feels welcome, safe, valued and supported at all times.

    We have established an Inclusion and Campus Community Team to lead further progress towards a culture of equality, dignity and respect.

    We have a zero-tolerance approach to racism and other forms of discrimination, bullying or harassment, and we will engage with sector guidance, representative bodies and those with lived experience to inform the development, implementation and review of policies and procedures to tackle behaviours that show disregard for our rules and values.3

  • We are committed to supporting refugees and asylum seekers to realise their academic potential.

    We seek to foster a culture of welcome for sanctuary seekers across the University and our wider community, and offer scholarships to support asylum seekers pursue higher education at the University of Hull.

    We are members of the Cara Scholars at Risk UK Universities Network and a signatory of the pledge to support implementation of the UNHCR Global Compact on Refugees.4

    Find out more about University of Sanctuary.

  • We are committed to completing the transition to renewable sources of energy to power our campus and to reducing our energy use.

    We have already reduced our carbon emissions by 50% and are generating electricity on campus through solar panels and combined heat and power plants. We are eliminating single-use plastics, cutting water consumption and increasing biodiversity on campus.

    Sustainability will be a key consideration in our travel choices.

    A programme of research projects linked to our carbon neutral pledge are utilising our campus and the entire Humber region as a living laboratory to test new and emerging technologies.

    We are embedding sustainability into our curricula, equipping all students graduating from the University with the knowledge and understanding to support the global transition to net-zero carbon emissions.

    We are a signatory to the Global Universities and Colleges Climate Letter, part of the United Nations Climate Change Race to Zero campaign.

    Find out how we're accelerating a net zero future.

  • 1. Our education develops socially responsible and globally competent citizens

    We are committed to delivering programmes that are informed by excellent research and which equip our graduates with the skills for lifelong careers and the drive to shape a just and sustainable future.

    We are working to integrate our vision throughout the student experience, seeking to ensure that our curricula are inclusive, decolonised and support diverse learner needs.

    We are committed to ensuring that every student engages meaningfully with their role in shaping a fairer, brighter and carbon neutral future, using the UN Sustainable Development Goals as a common framework across all programmes to aid understanding and inspire action.

  • 2. We are committed to providing inclusive access to transformative higher education

    As the only university in a region where three in five neighbourhoods are classed as areas of low higher education participation, we are proud to serve the educational needs of our place, raising aspirations and empowering individuals to achieve their potential.1

    We perform strongly against national benchmarks for a range of widening participation and access performance indicators, and we continue to set ourselves challenging targets for continued improvement.2

    We are committed to fairness and transparency in admissions—we value the entire person, looking not just at qualifications but also at experiences and skills and, foremost, for the motivation and determination to succeed while studying with us.

    We are a signatory of the Social Mobility Pledge, a member of the National Network for the Education of Care Leavers, a Standalone champion institution committed to supporting students who are estranged from their families and a signatory of the GTRSB into HE pledge to support students from the Gypsy, Traveller, Roma, Showman and Boater communities access and succeed in higher education.

  • 3. Our research tackles injustices and shapes just and sustainable change

    We are a research-led university, committed to delivering excellent, innovative and impactful research that makes a positive difference.

    We are supporting governments, businesses and communities to eradicate modern slavery and human trafficking.

    Our research gives a voice to disengaged or disadvantaged people and communities, such as young people in care or the victims of domestic abuse.

    We are tackling health inequalities, whether helping to identify the early stages of the life-threatening illnesses, such as cancer, heart disease and dementia, that are major contributors to the high mortality rates in our region, or pioneering new rapid diagnostic tools for the maternal infections responsible for high rates of childbirth complications in Kenya.

    We are driving innovation and skills development in the offshore wind sector, tackling the impact of pollution on our oceans and helping communities living near water, from the Humber to the Mekong in Vietnam, develop greater flood awareness and resilience.

    Find out more about how our research tackles injustices and shapes change.

  • 4. We draw strength from the diversity of our inclusive community

    We celebrate our differences and stand united against intolerance, ignorance and discrimination in all its forms. But we also recognise that there is more we need to do to tackle structural inequalities and to ensure that every member of our University feels welcome, safe, valued and supported at all times.

    We have established an Inclusion and Campus Community Team to lead further progress towards a culture of equality, dignity and respect.

    We have a zero-tolerance approach to racism and other forms of discrimination, bullying or harassment, and we will engage with sector guidance, representative bodies and those with lived experience to inform the development, implementation and review of policies and procedures to tackle behaviours that show disregard for our rules and values.3

  • 5. We are a University of Sanctuary

    We are committed to supporting refugees and asylum seekers to realise their academic potential.

    We seek to foster a culture of welcome for sanctuary seekers across the University and our wider community, and offer scholarships to support asylum seekers pursue higher education at the University of Hull.

    We are members of the Cara Scholars at Risk UK Universities Network and a signatory of the pledge to support implementation of the UNHCR Global Compact on Refugees.4

    Find out more about University of Sanctuary.

  • 6. We will be carbon neutral by 2027

    We are committed to completing the transition to renewable sources of energy to power our campus and to reducing our energy use.

    We have already reduced our carbon emissions by 50% and are generating electricity on campus through solar panels and combined heat and power plants. We are eliminating single-use plastics, cutting water consumption and increasing biodiversity on campus.

    Sustainability will be a key consideration in our travel choices.

    A programme of research projects linked to our carbon neutral pledge are utilising our campus and the entire Humber region as a living laboratory to test new and emerging technologies.

    We are embedding sustainability into our curricula, equipping all students graduating from the University with the knowledge and understanding to support the global transition to net-zero carbon emissions.

    We are a signatory to the Global Universities and Colleges Climate Letter, part of the United Nations Climate Change Race to Zero campaign.

    Find out how we're accelerating a net zero future.

 

1 Of the 121 MSOAs (Middle-Layer Super Output Areas) in the Humber LEP region, 60% are areas of low higher education participation (POLAR quintiles 1 and 2): Office for Students data on POLAR4 quintiles by MSOA (September 2018).

2 Our targets for access, success and progression are set out in our Access and Participation Plan 2020/21 to 2024/25.

3 In our work to understand inequalities and tackle discrimination, we draw on a range of external guidance and points of reference, including:

4 The University of Hull was one of 40 UK universities and organisations that have made a pledge as part of the UNHCR Global Compact on Refugees to work towards the global goal of providing access to Higher Education for 15% of refugees by 2030.

Pride in Hull Clearing Campaign Photoshoot 2019
Top