FOI_25-162 Contextual applications and admissions 2023-24 cycle
Date of response: 17 June 2025
We have now considered your request of 24 May 2025 for the following information:
Please provide the following, for 2023-24 application cycle (i.e. entry in September 2024, or deferred entry to 2025), for undergraduate Home-UK fee status applicants:
*We are defining ‘contextual offer’ as: a reduction in entry requirements for applicants, on the basis of some demographic, socio-economic or educational factor.
Offer making:
Question 1. How many applicants received a contextual offer from your institution?
Our response:
2,615.
Question 2. What percentage of applicants received a contextual offer?
Our response:
23%.
Applicant response:
Question 3. How many applicants that received a contextual offer made your institution a ‘firm choice’?
Our response:
723.
Question 4. What percentage of applicants that made your institution a ‘firm choice’ received a contextual offer?
Our response:
25%.
Confirmation:
Question 5. How many applicants with a ‘firm acceptance’ and a contextual offer were successful at confirmation?
Our response:
94%.
Question 6. How many applicants with a ‘firm acceptance’ and a contextual offer were unsuccessful at confirmation? (e.g. if fail to make offer grades)
Our response:
41.
Question 7. What percentage of applicants with a ‘firm acceptance’ were successful at confirmation?
Our response:
94%.
Question 8. What percentage of applicants with a 'firm acceptance’ were unsuccessful at confirmation? (e.g. if fail to make offer grades)
Our response:
6%.
Question 9. Does your contextual admissions policy apply to applicants with International fee status?
Our response:
No.
Question 10. If yes, please provide equivalent information for questions 1-3.
Our response:
Not applicable, please see our response to question 9.
Question 11. Does your contextual admissions policy apply to applicants that currently attend an independent school?
Our response:
Yes, if they meet the criteria set. Please see 2025 entry - contextual admissions for further information.
Question 12. If yes, please provide numbers of applicants from independent schools for questions 1a; 2a; 3a; and 3b.
Our response:
Not applicable.
There is no record of any applicants from independent schools for questions 1a, 2a, 3a and 3b.
Question 13. Impact of contextual admissions on widening participation:
Our response:
Please see our Access and Participation Plan.
Question 14. Of those applicants that were successful at confirmation and had a contextual offer, how many gained access because of a contextualised offer, i.e. their actual grade attainment fell below the standard non-contextual offer? Please answer ‘No data collected’, if this is not collected.
Our response:
445.
Question 15. Do you track inequalities in the retention, success and graduate outcomes of applicants that gain access because of a contextual offer, i.e. their actual grade attainment fell below the standard non-contextual offer? If yes, please share relevant reports.
Our response:
Tracking is not connected to the contextual offer specifically, but all the metrics outlined in the Access and Participation plan.
Question 16, Please share any relevant policies that outline the use of contextual admissions at your institution.
Our response:
Please see 2025 entry - contextual admissions.