# The Varsio blog.

URL: https://varsio.co.uk/blog
Updated: 2026-11-11


Practical writing for UK universities on reaching students, student data, accessibility and campus apps. Every claim links its source.

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11 November 20263 min read

## [Do the accessibility regulations cover your student app?](https://varsio.co.uk/blog/accessibility-rules-for-student-apps)

GOV.UK says apps for a defined group such as students fall outside the 2018 regulations. Why the Equality Act still applies, and what to ask a supplier for.

- Accessibility
- Regulation

11 November 20263 min read

## [Before you switch on an AI assistant for students](https://varsio.co.uk/blog/ai-assistants-in-student-services)

Five checks before an AI assistant answers students, covering its sources, what it may do, what it hands to staff, how mistakes show and what happens to data.

- AI
- Student data
- Student support

11 November 20264 min read

## [Apple's guideline 4.2.6 and your university's own app](https://varsio.co.uk/blog/apple-guideline-4-2-6-university-apps)

Apple rejects template apps a supplier submits for its clients. What that means for a branded university app, from accounts and fees to roles.

- App stores
- Launching an app

11 November 20263 min read

## [Why open rates can't tell you if students read your email](https://varsio.co.uk/blog/email-open-rates-and-student-notices)

Apple's Mail Privacy Protection loads tracking pixels whether or not anyone reads the email. What universities can measure instead, and how.

- Student communications
- Student data

11 November 20262 min read

## [NSS question 26: how students rate wellbeing communication](https://varsio.co.uk/blog/nss-question-26-wellbeing-communication)

The NSS asks how well universities communicate their mental wellbeing support. The exact question, who answers it, the 2025 and 2026 results, and what helps.

- Student support
- Student communications

11 November 20264 min read

## [OfS condition E6: the single source, and where an app fits](https://varsio.co.uk/blog/ofs-condition-e6-single-source)

What condition E6 asks of English universities' information on harassment, what the single source must hold, and what an app can and cannot do.

- Regulation
- Student support

11 November 20263 min read

## [Buying a campus app under the Procurement Act 2023](https://varsio.co.uk/blog/procurement-act-campus-app)

The 2026 threshold, how a contract's value is worked out, whether your university is a contracting authority, and what that means for buying a campus app.

- Buying a campus app
- Regulation

11 November 20264 min read

## [Questions to ask a campus app supplier about student data](https://varsio.co.uk/blog/student-app-supplier-data-questions)

Ten questions your data protection officer can put to any campus app supplier, from sub-processors and hosting to AI training and exit.

- Student data
- Buying a campus app