Contextual offers

You have attended a school or college with a partnership agreement with us

Because of our close partnership and deeper relationship with your school or college we are able to make a special reduced offer.

You live in an area with low progression to higher education

You will be eligible for a contextual offer if, at the point of application, you live in an area that has a low rate of progression to higher education according to POLAR4 data. To determine this, we use the home address on your UCAS application form. 

You can check whether your address qualifies by entering your postcode into the POLAR checking tool on the Office for Students (OFS) website. Eligible postcodes are those as defined as being within Quintiles 1 or 2 using the POLAR4 metric. 

Check your postcode on the Office for Students website.

You have spent time in care

If you have spent three months or more in local authority care, you will be eligible for a contextual offer. We use the care questions on your UCAS application form to assess your eligibility.  

Find out more about the support the University of Worcester provides to care leavers. 

You have been eligible for Free School Meals

If you have been eligible for free school meals during your secondary education you will be eligible for a contextual offer. The UCAS application will ask you to confirm if you are or have been in receipt of Free School Meals.

Students in the UK are usually eligible for free school meals if their parents or carers are on a low income or in receipt of certain benefits. You can contact your school or college if you are unsure.

You are the first in your family to go to University

You will be asked about your parents’ education as part of the UCAS application. If you have declared that neither of your parents attended higher education, a contextual offer will be applied.

You have caring responsibilities

This applies to individuals who have a commitment to providing care (unpaid) to a family member or friend. This may be short-term or long-term care.

If you have provided unpaid care for another person, please select ‘yes’ on the relevant question in the ‘More About Me’ section of the UCAS application and a contextual offer will be applied.

You have parenting responsibilities

If you provide care to, or are responsible for, a child aged 17 or under, you’ll be eligible for a contextual offer.

You have refugee or asylum seeker status

This means that you’ve applied for asylum and have received an outcome granting you refugee status.

You'll need to choose ‘refugee’ under the 'residential category' on your UCAS form if you’ve been granted this status. Individuals who’ve been issued a visa under one of the Ukrainian schemes (Homes for Ukraine, Ukraine Family Scheme or Ukraine Extension Scheme) will be classified as a refugee for the purposes of contextual data.

When submitting your UCAS application, you should select ‘refugee’ as your 'residential category' in the where you live section of the form. This will ensure that your status is automatically flagged in our system.

You have served in the armed forces or your parent or carer is in the armed forces

If you have served or if either or both of your parents have served in the UK Armed Forces, you will be eligible for a contextual offer.

Please select ‘yes’ on the relevant question in the ‘More About Me’ section of the UCAS application and a contextual offer will be applied.

You are estranged from your family

If your relationship with your parents/family has irreconcilably broken down, you will receive a contextual offer.

If this applies to you, please select ‘yes’ on the relevant question in the ‘More About Me’ section of the UCAS application.