Despite the Scottish Government's frequent affirmation of its commitment to social justice principles, there has of late been a recognition of the need for firmer action to tackle the social class gap in higher education participation, reflecting wider social inequalities in Scotland. In a recent policy statement, Angela Constance, Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning, commented: "… a child born today in one of our most deprived communities should have no less a chance of entering higher education than a child born in one of our least deprived. We want every child--whatever their background--to have an equal chance of attending university". In order to identify the action needed to ensure that 20% of university students are drawn from the most socially disadvantaged neighbourhoods, a Commission on Widening Access chaired by Dame Ruth Silver was set up by the Scottish Government in 2015, reporting in 2016. This introductory article provides an overview of the policy context and key issues in the debate on widening access to higher education in Scotland. This is followed by an overview of the papers in this special issue, which highlight the complex problems which need to be addressed in order to achieve a fairer higher education system.