What widening access offers are
We give extra consideration to applicants who have faced certain barriers that could make attending university more challenging. This extra consideration impacts whether you can apply with standard or minimum entry requirements.
The information on this page is correct for 2024 entry. We are currently reviewing criteria for 2025 entry. We will update this page once we confirm the criteria.
Using the information you provide on your UCAS form, we look at a set of defined factors to assess whether you might be eligible for a widening access offer. This information is sometimes referred to as 'contextual admissions data'.
Factors we use to assess your eligibility
At the University of Edinburgh, we look at 4 factors when making widening access offers:
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where you live (your home postcode)
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the school or college you go to
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if you are care experienced, or a refugee or asylum seeker
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if you’ve completed a SWAP or UoE Access Programme, or a recognised bridging programme
Find out more about recognised bridging programmes
Our widening access offer policy covers entry to our undergraduate degrees only and does not extend to graduate applicants to undergraduate degrees (for example, graduate entry to MBChB Medicine, BVM&S Veterinary Medicine Graduate entry Programme, or LLB Law Graduate Entry).
We will gather information from your UCAS application form to assess these factors. However, if you would like to know more about the criteria and data sources we use to assess elgibility for widening access offers you can find out more here.
Find out more about the criteria we use to assess your application
How widening access offers impact your application
We make two different types of widening access offers: 'Plus Flag' and 'Flag'.
Plus Flag and Flag offers are related to the different sets of entry requirements we have for applicants to our programmes:
- applicants who receive a Plus Flag will be considered on the basis of minimum entry requirements, which we sometimes refer to as widening access entry requirements
- applicants who receive a Flag offer will be considered on the basis of standard entry requirements, but in most cases their application will be prioritised
Some applicants face circumstances which might make it more challenging for them to achieve the standard entry requirements we set for our programmes.
We want to make sure we are aware of these circumstances. We want to be able to take them into account so we can properly assess what you have already achieved and your potential as a future student.
One way we do this is by having a set of minimum entry requirements which are normally lower than the standard entry requirements we expect applicants to meet.
Find out more about the difference between standard and minimum entry requirements
Find the standard and minimum entry requirements for each of our programmes on the Degree Finder
How you know if you’re eligible for widening access consideration
The information you provide on your UCAS application lets us know if we consider you for a Flag or Plus Flag widening access offer.
You can use our online tool to check if you might be eligible for either of these types of widening access offers and find out more about what being assigned a Flag or Plus Flag means for your application.
Check if you might be eligible for a widening access offer
Contact us through an online sign language interpreter
British Sign Language (BSL) users can contact the University of Edinburgh via Contact Scotland BSL, the online British Sign Language video relay interpreting service.
Find out more on the Contact Scotland BSL website
