Widening access offers criteria

Whether you receive a Flag or Plus Flag depends on whether you meet certain criteria

Depending on your circumstances, you may need to meet criteria relevant to more than one of the factors we look at to be eligible for a widening access offer. 

We assess your eligibility for widening access offers using the following factors:  

  • where you live (your home postcode)  
  • the school or college you go to   
  • if you are care experienced, or a refugee or asylum seeker  
  • 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).

Plus Flag criteria 

If you are assigned a Plus Flag, in most cases you will be made an offer at our minimum entry requirements. 

You are eligible for a Plus Flag if you're permanently resident in the UK and you fulfil one or more of these criteria:  

  • you are care experienced 
  • you are a refugee or an asylum seeker   
  • your home postcode is within the lowest quintile of the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation ('SIMD20')  
  • your home postcode is within the lowest quintile of the Acorn measure of socio-economic disadvantage (“Acorn 6”) and you attend a state school in England, Wales, or Northern Ireland
  • your home postcode is within the lowest quintile of the POLAR measure of socio-economic disadvantage (“POLAR 1”) and you attend a state school in England, Wales or Northern Ireland  
  • you attend one of our identified Scottish “low progression” schools (these are selected based on low progression to Higher Education, high proportion of free school meal entitlement and high proportion of SIMD20 postcodes and are reviewed periodically)  
  • you attend a LEAPS (Lothians Equal Access Programme for Schools) Group 1 or Group 1 Plus School  
  • you are undertaking a course with SWAP (Scottish Wider Access Programme)  
  • you are undertaking the University of Edinburgh’s Access Programme  
  • you are either estranged from your family or a carer, and have completed one or more of our recognised bridging programmes 

Find out more about recognised bridging programmes 

Flag criteria 

If you are assigned a Flag, in most cases you’ll be prioritised for a place in degree programmes where competition for places is high.   

You are eligible for a Flag if you are permanently resident in the UK and you fulfil one or more of the following criteria:  

  •  your home postcode is within the second lowest quintile of the Acorn measure of socio-economic disadvantage ('Acorn 5') AND you attend a state school in England, Wales, or Northern Ireland
  • your home postcode is within the lowest or second lowest quintile of the Acorn measure of socio-economic disadvantage ('Acorn 6' or 'Acorn 5') and you attend a school of low attainment at Higher within Scotland
  • your home postcode is within the second lowest quintile of the POLAR measure of socio-economic disadvantage ('POLAR 2') AND you attend a state school in England, Wales or Northern Ireland  
  • your home postcode is within the second lowest quintile of the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation ('SIMD40') and you attend a school of low attainment at Higher within Scotland  
  • your home postcode is within the second lowest quintile of the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation ('SIMD40') and you are eligible for support from LEAPS in a LEAPS Group 2 school  
  • your home postcode is within the lowest or second lowest quintile of the Acorn measure of socio-economic disadvantage ('Acorn 6' or 'Acorn 5') and you are eligible for support from LEAPS in a LEAPS Group 2 school