Contextual admissions
We use contextual data to help us identify applicants for additional consideration in our admissions process.
The University of Edinburgh is committed to widening access and welcomes applications from students with diverse backgrounds.
We recognise that not everyone has an equal opportunity to demonstrate their full academic potential from their school or college qualifications alone. For this reason, we aim to identify applicants who could benefit from additional consideration in the admissions process.
This is known as contextual admissions, as it enables us to consider your achievements in context.
How contextual admissions works
We use data from a number of sources along with information on the UCAS application, to identify applicants for additional consideration in our admissions process. Applicants can be flagged as either ‘Context Plus’ or ‘Context’.
Context Plus
We assign the Context Plus flag to applicants who live in the United Kingdom and:
- attend a Lothians Equal Access Programme For Schools (LEAPS) Group 1 school; or
- attend a Schools for Higher Education Programme (SHEP) school; or
- live in an area within the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation lowest 20% (SIMD20); or
- live in an area with an Acorn classification of 5; or
- are on the Scottish Wider Access Programme (SWAP); or
- are on the University of Edinburgh Access Programme; or
- are care experienced
Applicants who are identified by us as 'Context Plus' are either:
- guaranteed an offer based on our access threshold; or
- guaranteed progression to the next stage of the admissions process, where a programme has an interview, test or portfolio
If you are applying to an art or design programme that requires a portfolio and you are flagged Context Plus, you will receive additional credit at the portfolio assessment stage.
Context
We assign the Context flag to applicants who live in the United Kingdom and:
- attend a LEAPS Group 2 school and are LEAPS eligible; or
- attend a UK school with below average attainment for either Scottish Highers, A Levels, or GCSEs; or
- live in an area within the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation 21-40% (SIMD40); or
- live in an area with an Acorn classification of 4
We prioritise applicants with the Context flag for an offer where there is competition for limited places. If you are flagged Context and have achieved, or are predicted to achieve, the upper grade of our typical entry requirement range, then, wherever possible, you will receive an offer at this level.
Understanding our entry requirements
Contextual data checker
If you would like to check whether or not your application will be flagged for additional consideration in our admissions process, you can use our contextual data checker.
Notes
We do not consider your ethnicity, gender, parental occupation, or if you attend a state or independent school, in our contextual admissions process.
More information
For more information contact our Student Recruitment and Admissions team.
Student Recruitment and Admissions
Related links
University of Edinburgh Access Programme