With POLAR, TUNDRA, and IMD data sets integrated into Student CRM, universities can make smarter decisions about where to focus recruitment efforts, ensuring they reach students who need more support and improving diversity across their student population.

Based on the student's postcode, POLAR, TUNDRA, and IMD data appears:

You can filter on POLAR, TUNDRA, and IMD values:

POLAR is a classification developed by the Office for Students (OfS) that groups areas across the UK based on the proportion of young people who participate in higher education. It helps universities identify areas where fewer students typically progress to higher education, allowing them to target outreach efforts more effectively. Areas are divided into five quintiles, with quintile one representing the lowest participation rates and quintile five the highest.​

For detailed information, you can visit the OfS page on POLAR: https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/data-and-analysis/young-participation-by-area/about-polar-and-adult-he/

TUNDRA is an area-based measure that uses tracking of state-funded mainstream school pupils in England to calculate young participation in higher education. It focuses on the participation rate of these pupils and helps identify areas with underrepresented groups, enabling universities to address gaps in recruitment and focus on reaching students who might otherwise be overlooked. TUNDRA classifies local areas into five quintiles based on the proportion of 16-year-old pupils who participate in higher education aged 18 or 19.​

More details can be found on the OfS page about TUNDRA: https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/data-and-analysis/young-participation-by-area/about-tundra/

The Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) measures levels of deprivation across different areas based on factors like income, employment, education, health, and housing. It helps universities identify communities that may face more barriers to higher education, so they can prioritise support and outreach where it's needed most. The IMD ranks every small area in England from least to most deprived.​

For more information on IMD, you can refer to the Consumer Data Research Centre: https://data.cdrc.ac.uk/dataset/index-multiple-deprivation-imd

A. POLAR allows universities to target areas where students are less likely to progress to higher education, improving diversity and ensuring support reaches those who need it most.

A. POLAR divides areas into five quintiles, with:

A. While POLAR looks at overall participation in higher education across the UK, TUNDRA specifically tracks the participation of pupils from state-funded mainstream schools in England.

A. TUNDRA uses five quintiles to classify areas, with:

A. LSOA (Lower Layer Super Output Area): A small geographic area used for statistical reporting.

MSOA (Middle Layer Super Output Area): A larger geographic area used for broader regional analysis.

A. IMD helps universities identify communities that face greater barriers to higher education, allowing them to prioritise outreach and support for these students.

A. IMD ranks areas from 1 (most deprived) to 10 (least deprived), helping universities understand the level of disadvantage in different regions.

A. You can filter using the following values in Student CRM:

For further details, refer to the links above.