Contextual offers
Every talented student deserves the opportunity to succeed, regardless of background or personal circumstances. Our contextual offer scheme is designed to recognise your achievements and potential, not just your grades. We understand that social or financial challenges can affect your education, and we are committed to removing barriers to higher education.
What is a contextual offer?
A contextual offer means that, when you apply, we look at more than just your academic results. We consider the wider context of your educational journey, including any challenges you may have faced. This approach helps us ensure all applicants are assessed fairly and that your potential is recognised, whatever your background.
Each university will have its own contextual admissions policy and will use different sets of data to make their decisions.
What do I need to do?
You don’t need to do anything – all the information we need is available from your UCAS application. When you apply through UCAS, just make sure you include any relevant details about your circumstances in the ‘More about you’ or ‘Diversity and inclusion’ sections. Our admissions team will assess your application, taking into consideration your qualifications, personal statement, and references alongside this contextual data.
If you are eligible, you will receive a contextual offer which will be lower than our advertised requirement. When you log into the UCAS Hub to view your offer, it will clearly state if you have received a contextual offer. You can also compare your offer to the standard requirements on our course finder.
Is receiving a contextual offer a good thing?
If you receive a contextual offer, it means we think you have the potential to succeed, and we’ve recognised this by being able to make you a lower offer.
Who is eligible for a contextual offer?
You do not need to provide any extra information beyond your UCAS application. If you are studying three A-levels, a BTEC Extended Diploma, or an A level/BTEC combination, you will be considered. Other qualifications, such as T Levels, are not currently included, but our policy is reviewed annually.
We utilise the additional contextual data provided by UCAS via their Modernised Contextual Data Service (MCDS). This information is split into two Multiple Equality Measure (MEM) categories and broken down further into five groups with Group 1 including students least likely to enter higher education and Group 5 students being the most likely to enter higher education.
These MEM categories consider a combination of factors such as:
- The proportion of students in your local area who participate in higher education (POLAR4)
- Levels of deprivation in your area (Index of Multiple Deprivation, Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index)
- The type of school you attend
- Eligibility for free school meals
- Whether you attended an independent or state school
If you fall into Group 1 of either MEM1 or MEM2, you will be eligible for a contextual offer.
Contextual offers are available to full-time undergraduate applicants who:
- live in the United Kingdom and
- have applied via UCAS and
- have been assessed as paying home tuition fees and
- are in Group 1 of MEM 1 or
- are in Group 1 of MEM 2 or
- are care experienced (spent any amount of time in care at any point in their life) or
- are seeking sanctuary (seeking asylum or have been granted refugee status by the UK government)
Other significant challenges
If you have faced other significant challenges, such as bereavement, illness, or other unexpected circumstances, that have affected your Level 3 studies, please include this information in your UCAS application, or if the circumstances occur after you’ve submitted your application contact us directly with full details. We may be able to take these circumstances into account when assessing your application.
Support for care experienced applicants
In addition to contextual offers, we offer a range of support for applicants and students who are care experienced.
Support for sanctuary seekers
In addition to contextual offers, we offer a range of support for applicants and students who are seeking asylum or have been granted refugee status.
If I’m eligible, am I guaranteed an offer?
Receiving a contextual offer is a positive recognition of your potential. However, meeting the eligibility criteria does not guarantee an offer, as each application is assessed individually, taking into account your academic achievements (demonstrated by predicted and achieved grades), qualifications and subject specific requirements, references, and personal statement. Some courses may also require interviews or portfolio submissions, and professional courses may have specific GCSE or Level 2 requirements set by external regulatory bodies.
What courses are eligible for contextual offers?
All full-time undergraduate degree courses, and courses with a foundation year at Salford are eligible for contextual offers.
Which students are eligible for consideration?
Home fee-paying* undergraduate students applying via UCAS are automatically considered. Direct applications (i.e. not via UCAS) are not included in the scheme.
International students are not eligible, unless you are a sanctuary seeker (i.e. an asylum seeker or refugee currently living in the UK).
* You normally need to be a British Citizen or have indefinite leave to remain in the UK, and to have been ordinarily resident here for some years to be classified as a home student. Time spent in the UK for educational purposes is not counted as ordinary residence.
Contact us
We are here to help you at every stage of your application. If you have any questions or need further support, please contact our friendly team: