diff --git a/src/components/mui/MuiBaseCustomTheme.js b/src/components/mui/MuiBaseCustomTheme.js
index 240b8ade..68c82cb3 100644
--- a/src/components/mui/MuiBaseCustomTheme.js
+++ b/src/components/mui/MuiBaseCustomTheme.js
@@ -13,6 +13,19 @@
 
 import KeyboardArrowDownIcon from "@mui/icons-material/KeyboardArrowDown";
 
+// pagination controls: grey on hover, darker grey on keyboard focus
+const paginationButtonStyles = (theme) => ({
+  transition: theme.transitions.create("background-color", {
+    duration: theme.transitions.duration.shortest
+  }),
+  "&:hover": { backgroundColor: theme.palette.action.hover },
+  "@media (hover: none)": { "&:hover": { backgroundColor: "transparent" } },
+  "&:focus-visible, &:has(:focus-visible)": {
+    backgroundColor: theme.palette.action.focus,
+    outline: "none"
+  }
+});
+
 export const MuiBaseCustomTheme = {
   // must match the apps' html font-size so MUI's rem values render at their designed px
   typography: {
@@ -21,7 +34,7 @@ export const MuiBaseCustomTheme = {
   components: {
     MuiOutlinedInput: {
       styleOverrides: {
-        root: {
+        root: ({ theme }) => ({
           "--TextField-brandBorderColor": "#000",
           "--TextField-brandBorderHoverColor": "#000",
           "--TextField-brandBorderFocusedColor": "#000",
@@ -33,8 +46,26 @@ export const MuiBaseCustomTheme = {
           },
           "&.Mui-focused .MuiOutlinedInput-notchedOutline": {
             borderColor: "var(--TextField-brandBorderFocusedColor)"
+          },
+          // per-page select: keep the border grey on rest, hover and focus
+          "&.pagination-button": {
+            ...paginationButtonStyles(theme),
+            "--TextField-brandBorderColor": theme.palette.divider,
+            "--TextField-brandBorderHoverColor": theme.palette.divider,
+            "--TextField-brandBorderFocusedColor": theme.palette.divider,
+            "&.Mui-focused .MuiOutlinedInput-notchedOutline": { borderWidth: 1 }
           }
-        }
+        })
+      }
+    },
+    MuiIconButton: {
+      styleOverrides: {
+        root: ({ theme }) => ({ "&.pagination-button": paginationButtonStyles(theme) })
+      }
+    },
+    MuiTypography: {
+      styleOverrides: {
+        root: ({ theme }) => ({ "&.pagination-button": paginationButtonStyles(theme) })
       }
     },
     MuiSelect: {
diff --git a/src/components/mui/__tests__/mui-table-custom-pagination.test.js b/src/components/mui/__tests__/mui-table-custom-pagination.test.js
index 59dccf72..ff75ed3a 100644
--- a/src/components/mui/__tests__/mui-table-custom-pagination.test.js
+++ b/src/components/mui/__tests__/mui-table-custom-pagination.test.js
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ jest.mock("i18n-react/dist/i18n-react", () => ({
 }));
 
 import React from "react";
-import { render, screen, fireEvent } from "@testing-library/react";
+import { render, screen, fireEvent, waitFor } from "@testing-library/react";
 import userEvent from "@testing-library/user-event";
 import "@testing-library/jest-dom";
 import CustomTablePagination from "../tables/components/CustomTablePagination";
@@ -84,4 +84,16 @@ describe("CustomTablePagination", () => {
 
     expect(onPageChange).toHaveBeenCalledWith(4);
   });
+
+  test("returns keyboard focus to the page button when the slider collapses", async () => {
+    setup({ currentPage: 3, totalRows: 100, perPage: 10 });
+    const pageButton = screen.getByRole("button", { name: "mui_table.page_of" });
+    await userEvent.click(pageButton);
+
+    await userEvent.tab();
+    expect(screen.getByRole("slider")).toHaveFocus();
+    await userEvent.keyboard("{ArrowRight}");
+
+    await waitFor(() => expect(pageButton).toHaveFocus());
+  });
 });
diff --git a/src/components/mui/tables/components/CustomTablePagination.js b/src/components/mui/tables/components/CustomTablePagination.js
index 0ea1ce2c..244f3d23 100644
--- a/src/components/mui/tables/components/CustomTablePagination.js
+++ b/src/components/mui/tables/components/CustomTablePagination.js
@@ -86,12 +86,12 @@ const CustomTablePagination = ({
               size="small"
               value={perPage}
               onChange={handleRowsPerPageChange}
+              className="pagination-button"
               sx={{
                 height: 40,
                 borderRadius: "20px",
                 minWidth: 80,
                 bgcolor: "background.paper",
-                "& .MuiOutlinedInput-notchedOutline": { borderColor: "divider" },
                 "& .MuiSelect-select": { color: "text.secondary" }
               }}
               inputProps={{ "aria-label": T.translate("mui_table.rows_per_page") }}
diff --git a/src/components/mui/tables/components/SliderPagination.js b/src/components/mui/tables/components/SliderPagination.js
index fc80ab61..f00c4418 100644
--- a/src/components/mui/tables/components/SliderPagination.js
+++ b/src/components/mui/tables/components/SliderPagination.js
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@
  * */
 
 import * as React from "react";
-import { useCallback, useRef, useState } from "react";
+import { useCallback, useEffect, useRef, useState } from "react";
 import T from "i18n-react/dist/i18n-react";
 import Box from "@mui/material/Box";
 import Typography from "@mui/material/Typography";
@@ -28,6 +28,11 @@ const SliderPagination = ({ currentPage, totalRows, perPage, onPageChange, initi
   const [expanded, setExpanded] = useState(initialExpanded);
   const [dragValue, setDragValue] = useState(currentPage);
   const timeoutRef = useRef(null);
+  const pageButtonRef = useRef(null);
+  const sliderBoxRef = useRef(null);
+
+  // cancel a pending collapse if the component unmounts first
+  useEffect(() => () => clearTimeout(timeoutRef.current), []);
 
   const togglePill = () => {
     if (expanded) {
@@ -43,7 +48,11 @@ const SliderPagination = ({ currentPage, totalRows, perPage, onPageChange, initi
   const onSliderCommit = useCallback(
     (_ev, value) => {
       onPageChange(value);
-      timeoutRef.current = setTimeout(() => setExpanded(false), 150);
+      timeoutRef.current = setTimeout(() => {
+        // don't leave keyboard focus on the slider once it's hidden
+        if (sliderBoxRef.current?.contains(document.activeElement)) pageButtonRef.current?.focus();
+        setExpanded(false);
+      }, 150);
     },
     [onPageChange]
   );
@@ -79,21 +88,26 @@ const SliderPagination = ({ currentPage, totalRows, perPage, onPageChange, initi
           onClick={prev}
           disabled={currentPage <= 1}
           aria-label={T.translate("mui_table.previous_page")}
+          disableFocusRipple
+          className="pagination-button"
         >
           {/* explicit px so a host page's root font-size reset can't shrink this */}
           <ChevronLeftIcon sx={{ fontSize: "24px" }} />
         </IconButton>
         <Typography
           component="button"
+          ref={pageButtonRef}
           type="button"
           onClick={togglePill}
           variant="body1"
           color="text.secondary"
+          className="pagination-button"
           sx={{
             border: "none",
             background: "none",
             px: 1.5,
             height: 40,
+            borderRadius: "20px",
             cursor: "pointer",
             whiteSpace: "nowrap"
           }}
@@ -104,6 +118,8 @@ const SliderPagination = ({ currentPage, totalRows, perPage, onPageChange, initi
           })}
         </Typography>
         <Box
+          ref={sliderBoxRef}
+          aria-hidden={!expanded}
           sx={{
             width: expanded ? 220 : 0,
             overflow: "hidden",
@@ -122,6 +138,8 @@ const SliderPagination = ({ currentPage, totalRows, perPage, onPageChange, initi
             onChange={onSliderChange}
             onChangeCommitted={onSliderCommit}
             valueLabelDisplay="auto"
+            // out of the Tab order while collapsed
+            slotProps={{ input: { tabIndex: expanded ? 0 : -1 } }}
             sx={{ width: 180 }}
           />
         </Box>
@@ -130,6 +148,8 @@ const SliderPagination = ({ currentPage, totalRows, perPage, onPageChange, initi
           onClick={next}
           disabled={currentPage >= totalPages}
           aria-label={T.translate("mui_table.next_page")}
+          disableFocusRipple
+          className="pagination-button"
         >
           <ChevronRightIcon sx={{ fontSize: "24px" }} />
         </IconButton>