Next week, something is happening in the UK higher education sector that doesn’t happen very often; a brand new higher education institute is opening its doors and welcoming its first class of students.

That institution is University Academy 92. Based a stone’s throw from Manchester city centre, UA92 is a partnership between Lancaster University and the Class of 92 – five former Manchester United footballers, namely Gary Neville, Phil Neville, Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs and Nicky Butt. UA92 plan to do things differently – with no exams, flexible entry points, and core modules that help prepare their students for life after graduation. Not only that, they also have widening access to higher education at the heart of what they do.

To mark this potentially game-changing moment for the UK higher education section, we’re delighted to welcome UA92’s Principal and CEO Professor Craig Gaskell for a special bonus episode of our podcast. He tells us what it’s been like to build a new university from scratch, how they’ve worked to craft an authentic student voice when they don’t have any students and why the world needs UA92.

We’ll be back later this year with the next full season of Inspiration on TAP. In the meantime, why not check out our previous episodes? Oh, and don’t forget to subscribe and leave us a rating and review.

Inspiration in TAP is hosted by Dave Musson and is brought to you by The Access Platform, a peer recruitment tool that enables universities to connect their Student Ambassadors with prospective students wherever they are in the world. Find out more on our website or come and say hi on Twitter.