Fair admissions
Our commitment to widening participation includes using our fair admissions policies and procedures to ensure student recruitment is transparent, fair, and provides opportunities to identify outstanding students from all educational backgrounds.
Impact evidence
Weekly reports on admissions statistics allow us to track and monitor data throughout the admissions cycle.
In the 2020/21 admissions cycle, 15,904 undergraduate applications were contextually flagged for consideration, 8,697 were Widening participation plus, and 3,997 contextual offers were made.
Our processes have increased the opportunities of widening students considered for the most selective courses, including Medicine and Dentistry.
We do this by using multiple pieces of contextual data in the admissions process and differential offer making, such as:
- location;
- experience of local authority care;
- refugee status;
- school and college performance compared to the national average.
Our approach to contextual data is evidence-led, based on research by the Fair Education Alliance.
We use contextual data when considering applications from UK students under 21.
Contextual data allows admissions staff to build up a full and rounded view of an applicant’s potential when considering their application and aims to shine a light on individuals who have achieved particularly highly in the context of their personal and educational background.
Since 2019, the University has used contextual data to highlight students who could be made a differential offer, usually one grade lower than the standard offer.
Find out more about how we use contextual data in our admissions process.