Accessibility

· 13 checks — Landmarks, headings, alt text, forms, and link quality rolled into one auditable list.

SCORE

GRADE

FIX

REVIEW

PASS

INFO

Checks

7 PASS 2 REVIEW 4 FIX

404 Error Page

Action

HTTP 502, bare page

FIX

HTTP 502, bare page

Unexpected status code: HTTP 502

Expected HTTP 404 but received 502. This may confuse search engine crawlers.

Got: HTTP 502

Bare server default 404 page

The 404 page has no custom styling. Users hitting a broken link see a generic error with no way to navigate back. Add a custom 404 page with your site navigation and a search bar.

404 Page Quality Default 404 Page

Status Code HTTP 502 ✗Custom Styling ✗Navigation ✗Homepage Link ✗Search Form ✗

Dark Mode Support

Action

No dark mode signals

FIX

No dark mode signals

No dark mode signals detected

Consider adding CSS with @media (prefers-color-scheme: dark) and <meta name='color-scheme' content='light dark'>.

Detection limited to meta tags and inline styles

External CSS files may contain prefers-color-scheme rules not visible to this scan.

Dark ModeNo Dark Mode Detected

color-scheme meta Not set ✗Dark theme-color Not set ✗CSS indicators Not detected ✗

Detection limited to meta tags and inline styles.

Print Stylesheet

Action

No print styles

FIX

No print styles

No print-specific styles detected

When users print this page, they get the screen layout including navigation and non-essential elements. Add @media print rules to hide navigation and optimize layout for paper.

Print Stylesheet No Print Styles

Print stylesheet Not found ✗Inline @media print Not detected ✗

Web Manifest

Valid manifest

REVIEW

Valid manifest

Name present: UCL

192x192 icon present

512x512 icon present

Display mode: standalone

PWA Install Criteria Not Installable

Name UCL ✓192×192 icon ✓512×512 icon ✓Start URL ✗Display Mode standalone ✓

Name UCL Display Mode standalone Theme Color #1A1A1A Background Color #ffffff Icons 2 icon(s)

Color Contrast (Screenshot)

Action

20 text elements analyzed, 20 fail WCAG AA

REVIEW

Analyzes text contrast against the actual rendered page, including background images, gradients, and overlays that CSS-based tools cannot detect.

0 pass 20 fail WCAG AA

h1 Welcome to UCL

1.00:1

#000000

needs 3.0:1 (large text)

32px · bottom of viewport

h2 Make your Master’s matter

1.00:1

#000000

needs 3.0:1 (large text)

24px · bottom of viewport

h2 Undergraduate Open Days and Campus Tours

1.00:1

#000000

needs 3.0:1 (large text)

24px · bottom of viewport

h2 How we support our students

1.00:1

#000000

needs 3.0:1 (large text)

24px · bottom of viewport

h2 UCL’s Bicentenary

1.00:1

#000000

needs 3.0:1 (large text)

24px · bottom of viewport

h2 Latest news

1.00:1

#000000

needs 3.0:1 (large text)

24px · bottom of viewport

h2 UCL ranked among the top 10 universities…

1.00:1

#000000

needs 3.0:1 (large text)

24px · bottom of viewport

h2 Discover how UCL changes the world

1.00:1

#000000

needs 3.0:1 (large text)

24px · bottom of viewport

h2 UCL events open to all

1.00:1

#000000

needs 3.0:1 (large text)

24px · bottom of viewport

h2 The Music Is Black Festival - UCL talks …

1.00:1

#000000

needs 3.0:1 (large text)

24px · bottom of viewport

h2 Science in a Changing World: A conversat…

1.00:1

#000000

needs 3.0:1 (large text)

24px · bottom of viewport

h2 Disagreeing Well: What does reckoning wi…

1.00:1

#000000

needs 3.0:1 (large text)

24px · bottom of viewport

h2 What's on

1.00:1

#000000

needs 3.0:1 (large text)

24px · bottom of viewport

h2 Meet our people

1.00:1

#000000

needs 3.0:1 (large text)

24px · bottom of viewport

h2 Spotlight on UCL podcasts

1.00:1

#000000

needs 3.0:1 (large text)

24px · bottom of viewport

h2 Faces of UCL

1.00:1

#000000

needs 3.0:1 (large text)

24px · bottom of viewport

h2 The Bridge: A Disagreeing Well Podcast

1.00:1

#000000

needs 3.0:1 (large text)

24px · bottom of viewport

h2 Disruptive Voices Podcast

1.00:1

#000000

needs 3.0:1 (large text)

24px · bottom of viewport

h2 The Climate Podcast

1.00:1

#000000

needs 3.0:1 (large text)

24px · bottom of viewport

h2 More about life at UCL

1.00:1

#000000

needs 3.0:1 (large text)

24px · bottom of viewport

Show all checked elements (20)

Element	Ratio	Required	FG	BG	Result
h1 Welcome to UCL	1.00:1	3.0:1	#000000	#000000	Fail
h2 Make your Master’s…	1.00:1	3.0:1	#000000	#000000	Fail
h2 Undergraduate Open D…	1.00:1	3.0:1	#000000	#000000	Fail
h2 How we support our s…	1.00:1	3.0:1	#000000	#000000	Fail
h2 UCL’s Bicentenary	1.00:1	3.0:1	#000000	#000000	Fail
h2 Latest news	1.00:1	3.0:1	#000000	#000000	Fail
h2 UCL ranked among the…	1.00:1	3.0:1	#000000	#000000	Fail
h2 Discover how UCL cha…	1.00:1	3.0:1	#000000	#000000	Fail
h2 UCL events open to a…	1.00:1	3.0:1	#000000	#000000	Fail
h2 The Music Is Black F…	1.00:1	3.0:1	#000000	#000000	Fail
h2 Science in a Changin…	1.00:1	3.0:1	#000000	#000000	Fail
h2 Disagreeing Well: Wh…	1.00:1	3.0:1	#000000	#000000	Fail
h2 What's on	1.00:1	3.0:1	#000000	#000000	Fail
h2 Meet our people	1.00:1	3.0:1	#000000	#000000	Fail
h2 Spotlight on UCL pod…	1.00:1	3.0:1	#000000	#000000	Fail
h2 Faces of UCL	1.00:1	3.0:1	#000000	#000000	Fail
h2 The Bridge: A Disagr…	1.00:1	3.0:1	#000000	#000000	Fail
h2 Disruptive Voices Po…	1.00:1	3.0:1	#000000	#000000	Fail
h2 The Climate Podcast	1.00:1	3.0:1	#000000	#000000	Fail
h2 More about life at U…	1.00:1	3.0:1	#000000	#000000	Fail

Methodology: The top 20 text elements by font size were checked. Background color was sampled from the desktop screenshot using a 5-point pattern. WCAG 2.1 AA requires 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text.

Landmark Structure

9 landmarks

PASS

9 landmarks

<main> landmark present

No <nav> landmark found

Skip navigation link present

Page Structure — as a screen reader sees it

Heading Hierarchy

53 headings

PASS

53 headings

Single H1 present

3 empty heading(s)

Empty headings appear in the document outline but provide no information.

H1 Welcome to UCL
H2 Undergraduate study
H2 Graduate study
H2 Short Courses, CPD and more
H2 Make your Master’s matter
H2 Undergraduate Open Days and Campus Tours
H2 How we support our students
H2 UCL’s Bicentenary
H2 Latest news
H2 (empty)
H3 Gut microbiome changes may signal Parkinson's disease risk
H3 Hormone patches effective for locally advanced prostate cancer
H3 World-class eye health centre in London named
H2 UCL ranked among the top 10 universities in the world
H2 Discover how UCL changes the world
H2 (empty)
H3 Engineered tissue offers hope for babies born with missing food pipe section
H3 Movies reconstructed from mouse brain activity
H3 Life-changing drug identified for children with rare epilepsy
H2 UCL events open to all
H2 The Music Is Black Festival - UCL talks and screenings
H2 Science in a Changing World: A conversation for the next 200 years
H2 Disagreeing Well: What does reckoning with the British imperial past involve in 2026?
H2 What's on
H2 Meet our people
H2 (empty)
H3 UCL researcher to co-lead British Pavilion at the 20th Venice Architecture Biennale
H3 UCL East campus building wins Civic Trust Award
H3 UCL cell biologist elected to prestigious AAAS Fellowship
H2 Spotlight on UCL podcasts
H2 Faces of UCL
H2 The Bridge: A Disagreeing Well Podcast
H2 Disruptive Voices Podcast
H2 The Climate Podcast
H2 More about life at UCL
H3 Third-party hosted content
H3 Third-party hosted content
H2 Highlights
H3 Top 10 in the World
H3 1st in UK QS Sustainability
H3 UCL in 2025
H2 UCL footer
H3 Visit
H3 Students
H3 Staff
H3 UCL social media menu
H3 Essential
H2 Privacy & Cookie Settings
H2 Privacy Preferences
H3 Necessary
H3 Analytics
H3 Marketing
H3 Embeds

Empty headings appear in the document outline but provide no information.

Why this matters

Empty <hN> tags break the document outline — screen-reader users navigating by heading hit dead silence.

Source: WCAG 2.4.6

A+

Alt Text Quality

All 31 images OK

PASS

All 31 images OK

31 image(s) with good alt text

31 images 31 good alt text

All images have appropriate alt text.

A+

Form Accessibility

All 5 controls labeled

PASS

All 5 controls labeled

5 control(s) properly labeled

5 controls

5 labeled

0 placeholder only

0 unlabeled

Control	Type	Label	Method
#edit-search-term	text	Search Term (optional)	for/id
input	checkbox		none
input	checkbox		none
input	checkbox		none
input	checkbox		none

Link & Button Quality

115 links, 27 buttons — all OK

PASS

115 links, 27 buttons — all OK

3 link(s) open in new tab without warning

Add '(opens in new tab)' to link text or aria-label.

Got: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxYFg3ygMgk; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fibAxF6t11o; https://www.ucl.ac.uk/legal-services/cookies

112 link(s) with descriptive text

115 links

0 empty

0 generic text

3 new tab

0 empty buttons

Element	Text	Issue	Suggested Fix
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxYFg3yg…	Open YouTube content in new ta…	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fibAxF6t…	Open YouTube content in new ta…	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
https://www.ucl.ac.uk/legal-services/coo…	Open privacy policy in new tab…	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text

139 links and buttons have descriptive text

Add '(opens in new tab)' to link text or aria-label.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxYFg3ygMgk; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fibAxF6t11o; https://www.ucl.ac.uk/legal-services/cookies

Why this matters

Links with target="_blank" without rel="noopener" leak the originating page's window context — security and UX issue.

Learn more ▾

Without rel="noopener", the new tab can navigate the original tab via window.opener (tab-nabbing attack). Modern browsers default to noopener for target=_blank but only since recent versions. Always set rel="noopener noreferrer" explicitly.

Source: MDN target / OWASP

Favicon & Branding

30 icon(s) detected

PASS

30 icon(s) detected

favicon.ico present at site root

HTML icon links detected

Apple touch icon present

SVG favicon detected — scales perfectly to any size

Multiple icon sizes detected

✓ favicon.ico Present

✓ PNG Icons Present

✓ Apple Touch Present

✓ SVG Favicon Present

✓ Manifest Icons Present

✓ Multiple Sizes Present

A+

Lighthouse Accessibility Audits

Score 96/100 — 2 failing, 26 passed

PASS

Accessibility

These checks highlight opportunities to improve the accessibility of your web app. Automatic detection can only detect a subset of issues and does not guarantee the accessibility of your web app, so manual testing is also encouraged.

Contrast

Low-contrast text is difficult or impossible for many users to read. Link text that is discernible improves the experience for users with low vision. Learn how to make links distinguishable.

Why this matters

Performance issues directly impact user engagement and conversion rates.

Failing Elements
UCL privacy policy `div#ucl-privacy-banner > div.ucl-privacy-banner__policy-section > p.ucl-privacy-banner__policy-inline > a.ucl-privacy-banner__policy-link`

These are opportunities to improve the legibility of your content.

Visible text labels that do not match the accessible name can result in a confusing experience for screen reader users. Learn more about accessible names.

Why this matters

Performance issues directly impact user engagement and conversion rates.

Failing Elements
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxYFg3ygMgk `div.field > div.oembed-lazyload > div.ucl-privacy-placeholder > a.ucl-consent-gate__link`
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fibAxF6t11o `div.field > div.oembed-lazyload > div.ucl-privacy-placeholder > a.ucl-consent-gate__link`

○Interactive controls are keyboard focusable

○Interactive elements indicate their purpose and state

○The page has a logical tab order

○Visual order on the page follows DOM order

○User focus is not accidentally trapped in a region

○The user's focus is directed to new content added to the page

○HTML5 landmark elements are used to improve navigation

○Offscreen content is hidden from assistive technology

○Custom controls have associated labels

○Custom controls have ARIA roles

●`[aria-*]` attributes match their roles

●`[aria-hidden="true"]` is not present on the document `<body>`

●`[role]`s have all required `[aria-*]` attributes

●`[role]` values are valid

●`[aria-*]` attributes have valid values

●`[aria-*]` attributes are valid and not misspelled

●Buttons have an accessible name

●Image elements have `[alt]` attributes

●`[user-scalable="no"]` is not used in the `<meta name="viewport">` element and the `[maximum-scale]` attribute is not less than 5.

●ARIA attributes are used as specified for the element's role

●`[aria-hidden="true"]` elements do not contain focusable descendents

●Elements use only permitted ARIA attributes

●Background and foreground colors have a sufficient contrast ratio

●Document has a `<title>` element

●`<html>` element has a `[lang]` attribute

●`<html>` element has a valid value for its `[lang]` attribute

●Links have a discernible name

●Lists contain only `<li>` elements and script supporting elements (`<script>` and `<template>`).

●List items (`<li>`) are contained within `<ul>`, `<ol>` or `<menu>` parent elements

●No element has a `[tabindex]` value greater than 0

●Touch targets have sufficient size and spacing.

●Heading elements appear in a sequentially-descending order

●Document has a main landmark.

●Deprecated ARIA roles were not used

●All heading elements contain content.

●Identical links have the same purpose.

○`[accesskey]` values are unique

○`button`, `link`, and `menuitem` elements have accessible names

○Elements with `role="dialog"` or `role="alertdialog"` have accessible names.

○ARIA input fields have accessible names

○ARIA `meter` elements have accessible names

○ARIA `progressbar` elements have accessible names

○Elements with an ARIA `[role]` that require children to contain a specific `[role]` have all required children.

○`[role]`s are contained by their required parent element

○Elements with the `role=text` attribute do not have focusable descendents.

○ARIA toggle fields have accessible names

○ARIA `tooltip` elements have accessible names

○ARIA `treeitem` elements have accessible names

○The page contains a heading, skip link, or landmark region

○`<dl>`'s contain only properly-ordered `<dt>` and `<dd>` groups, `<script>`, `<template>` or `<div>` elements.

○Definition list items are wrapped in `<dl>` elements

○ARIA IDs are unique

○No form fields have multiple labels

○`<frame>` or `<iframe>` elements have a title

○`<html>` element has an `[xml:lang]` attribute with the same base language as the `[lang]` attribute.

○Input buttons have discernible text.

○`<input type="image">` elements have `[alt]` text

○Form elements have associated labels

○The document does not use `<meta http-equiv="refresh">`

○`<object>` elements have alternate text

○Select elements have associated label elements.

○Skip links are focusable.

○Cells in a `<table>` element that use the `[headers]` attribute refer to table cells within the same table.

○`<th>` elements and elements with `[role="columnheader"/"rowheader"]` have data cells they describe.

○`[lang]` attributes have a valid value

○`<video>` elements contain a `<track>` element with `[kind="captions"]`

○Tables have different content in the summary attribute and `<caption>`.

○Uses ARIA roles only on compatible elements

○Image elements do not have `[alt]` attributes that are redundant text.

○Tables use `<caption>` instead of cells with the `[colspan]` attribute to indicate a caption.

○`<td>` elements in a large `<table>` have one or more table headers.

All checks on this page are automated. Results are estimates - run targeted manual reviews when the score affects a release decision.