Contextualised Offers
We are delighted to be able to make contextualised offers to those applying to programmes that are validated by University of Hull and our Higher National programmes, where they are eligible.
Fair access to Higher Education is hugely important to us at UCBB. It enables social mobility and helps to improve opportunities and life-chances for individuals and their communities. We acknowledge that many students have barriers that make it more difficult for them to access Higher Education. As a result, we aim for our application and recruitment processes to be as accessible as possible. This reflects the commitments we have made in our Access and Participation Plan.
When we review an application, we take into consideration the context in which applicants have achieved their academic qualifications. If candidates meet certain eligibility criteria, we may make an offer which is lower than our typical entry requirements. This is called a contextual offer. Where contextual offers are used, they are used in situations where they minimise barriers to entry for applicants and address inequalities, while maintaining standards.
Overall, contextualised offers in Higher Education aim to provide personalised experiences, information, and opportunities to prospective students, ensuring that their specific needs and preferences are taken into account throughout their academic journey and beyond.
Contextual offers are only available to UCAS applicants that are classed as ‘Home’ for fee
purposes. They are available on all of our programmes. Our criteria reflect characteristics which are under-represented in Higher Education because we want to level the playing field for everyone to access university. ‘Home’ students will be able to get a contextual offer if they meet one or more of the following measures.
Reside in an area with a low number of young people progressing to higher education.
This is based on the areas of the UK that have the lowest proportions of young people entering Higher Education and is calculated based on the postcode used on a UCAS application. We use POLAR4 quintile data at the moment as this is the preferred data used by the UK government.
Care experienced.
Care experience is defined as individuals who declare they have spent time:
- Living with foster carers under local authority care
- In residential care
- Looked after at home under a supervision order
- In kinship care
Have a disability.
If a student declares one or more of any disability types on their UCAS application, a contextual
offer will be applied.
Those who are eligible will receive an unconditional offer and offered an appointment with our Life Coach team to discuss any additional support that may be required.
