← All contextual offer schemes

University of Southampton contextual offers

University of Southampton makes contextual offers (lower entry requirements) to applicants whose background may have limited their opportunities. Here's who qualifies for 2027 entry and how much lower the offer is.

Who is eligible for a contextual offer at University of Southampton?

To be considered for a contextual offer from University of Southampton you need 'home' fee status, plus one of the following: care experience, a POLAR4 quintile 1 area, a TUNDRA quintile 1 area, a widening-access programme, an IMD quintile 1 area, free school meals or estrangement from your parents.

Everyone must:

• Have 'home' (UK) fee status

Then you need any one of these:

• Are care-experienced or a care leaver
• Live in a POLAR4 quintile 1 area (the 20% of areas where fewest young people go to university)
• Live in a TUNDRA quintile 1 area (the 20% of areas where fewest young people go to university)
• Have completed a recognised access or outreach programme (e.g. Sutton Trust, Realising Opportunities, or the university's own scheme)
• Live in England's most deprived 20% of areas (IMD quintile 1)
• Have been eligible for free school meals
• Are estranged from your parents or guardians

Criteria based on where you live are worked out from your home postcode, which the checker looks up for you. Each link above explains what the criterion means.

How much lower is University of Southampton's contextual offer?

Of the 191 University of Southampton courses where we have both offers, 190 are two grades lower and 1 is one grade lower. The most common change is ABB to BBC.

Contextual offer for each University of Southampton course (191)

Course	Standard	Contextual
Accounting and Finance	AAB	BBB
Accounting and Finance with Placement Year	AAB	BBB
Accounting and Finance with Study Abroad Year	AAB	BBB
Accounting and Taxation	AAB	BBB
Accounting and Taxation with Placement Year	AAB	BBB
Acoustical Engineering	AAB	BBB
Acoustical Engineering	AAA	ABB
Aeronautics and Astronautics	A*AA	AAB
Aeronautics and Astronautics	A*AA	AAB
Aeronautics and Astronautics / Aerodynamics	A*AA	AAB
Aeronautics and Astronautics / Spacecraft Engineering	A*AA	AAB
Aerospace Electronic Engineering	AAA	AAC
Aerospace Electronic Engineering	A*AA	AAB
Ancient History	ABB	BBC
Ancient History and History	ABB	BBC
Ancient History and History with Year Abroad	ABB	BBC
Ancient History with Year Abroad	ABB	BBC
Archaeology	BBB	BCC
Archaeology and Ancient History	ABB	BBC
Archaeology and Ancient History with Year Abroad	ABB	BBC
Archaeology and Anthropology	BBB	BCC
Archaeology and Anthropology with Year Abroad	BBB	BCC
Archaeology with Year Abroad	BBB	BCC
Artificial Intelligence	A*AA	AAB
Artificial Intelligence	A*AA	AAB
Astrophysics with Year Abroad	A*AA	AAB
Audiology	ABB	BBC
Audiology	AAB	BBB
Biochemistry	ABB	BBC
Biochemistry	AAB	BBB
Biology	ABB	BBC
Biology	AAB	BBB
Biology and Marine Biology	ABB	BBC
Biology and Marine Biology	AAB	BBB
Biomedical Engineering	AAA	AAC
Biomedical Engineering	A*AA	AAB
Biomedical Engineering (Mechanics and Materials)	AAB	BBB
Biomedical Engineering (Mechanics and Materials)	AAA	ABB
Biomedical Engineering (Mechanics and Materials) with Industrial Placement Year	AAA	ABB
Biomedical Engineering with Industrial Studies	A*AA	AAB
Biomedical Sciences	ABB	BBC
Biomedical Sciences	AAB	BBB
Business Analytics	AAB	BBB
Business Analytics with Placement Year	AAB	BBB
Business Analytics with Study Abroad Year	AAB	BBB
Business Entrepreneurship	AAB	BBB
Business Entrepreneurship with Placement Year	AAB	BBB
Business Entrepreneurship with Study Abroad Year	AAB	BBB
Business Management	AAB	BBB
Business Management and Accounting	AAB	BBB
Business Management and Accounting with Placement Year	AAB	BBB
Business Management and Human Resource Management	AAB	BBB
Business Management and Human Resource Management with Placement Year	AAB	BBB
Business Management with Placement Year	AAB	BBB
Business Management with Study Abroad Year	AAB	BBB
Business and Artificial Intelligence	AAB	BBB
Chemical Engineering	AAA	ABB
Chemical Engineering	AAA	ABB
Chemistry	AAB	BBB
Chemistry	AAA	ABB
Chemistry (Digital Methods and Computational Modelling)	AAB	BBB
Chemistry (Digital Methods and Computational Modelling)	AAA	ABB
Chemistry with Medicinal Chemistry	AAB	BBB
Chemistry with Medicinal Chemistry	AAA	ABB
Civil Engineering	AAA	ABB
Civil Engineering	A*AA	AAB
Civil Engineering with Architectural Design	A*AA	AAB
Computer Engineering	A*AA	AAB
Computer Engineering	A*AA	AAB
Computer Science	A*AA	AAB
Computer Science	A*AA	AAB
Computer Science with Artificial Intelligence	A*AA	AAB
Computer Science with Cyber Security	A*AA	AAB
Creative Computing	BBC	CCC
Earth Sciences	ABB	BBC
Education	ABB	BBC
Education and Psychology	AAB	BBB
Electrical Engineering	AAA	AAC
Electrical Engineering	A*AA	AAB
Electrical and Electronic Engineering	AAA	AAC
Electrical and Electronic Engineering	A*AA	AAB
Electronic Engineering	AAA	AAC
Electronic Engineering	A*AA	AAB
Electronic Engineering with Artificial Intelligence	A*AA	AAB
Electronic Engineering with Computer Systems	A*AA	AAB
Electronic Engineering with Nanotechnology	A*AA	AAB
Electronic Engineering with Photonics	A*AA	AAB
Electronic Engineering with Wireless Communications	A*AA	AAB
English	ABB	BBC
English Language and Linguistics	ABB	BBC
English Language and Linguistics with Year Abroad	ABB	BBC
English Language and Literature	ABB	BBC
English and History	ABB	BBC
English and History with Year Abroad	ABB	BBC
English and Modern Languages	ABB	BBC
English with Creative Writing	ABB	BBC
Environmental Geoscience	ABB	BBC
Environmental Geoscience	AAB	BBB
Environmental Science	ABB	BBC
European Legal Studies	AAA	ABB
Fashion Design	BBC	CCC
Fashion Marketing with Management	BBC	CCC
Film Studies	ABB	BBC
Film Studies with Year Abroad	ABB	BBC
Film and English	ABB	BBC
Film and English with Year Abroad	ABB	BBC
Film and History	ABB	BBC
Film and History with Year Abroad	ABB	BBC
Film, TV and Digital Media	ABB	BBC
Finance and Financial Technology	AAB	BBB
Finance and Financial Technology with Placement Year	AAB	BBB
Finance and Financial Technology with Study Abroad Year	AAB	BBB
Fine Art	BBC	CCC
Games Design and Art	BBC	CCC
Geography	ABB	BBC
Geography	ABB	BBC
Geology	ABB	BBC
Geology	AAB	BBB
Graphic Communication	BBC	CCC
History	ABB	BBC
History and Modern Languages	ABB	BBC
History with Year Abroad	ABB	BBC
Human Geography	ABB	BBC
International Business	AAA	ABB
International Legal Studies	AAA	ABB
Language, Culture and Communication	BBB	BCC
Law	AAA	ABB
Law with Psychology	AAA	ABB
Liberal Arts	AAB	BBB
Luxury Brand Management	BBC	CCC
Marine Biology	ABB	BBC
Marine Biology	AAB	BBB
Marine Biology with Oceanography	ABB	BBC
Marine Biology with Oceanography	AAB	BBB
Maritime Engineering	AAB	ABC
Maritime Engineering	AAA	ABB
Marketing	AAA	ABB
Marketing with Placement Year	AAA	ABB
Marketing with Study Abroad Year	AAA	ABB
Mechanical Engineering	A*AA	AAB
Mechanical Engineering	A*AA	AAB
Mechanical Engineering / Aerospace Engineering	A*AA	AAB
Mechanical Engineering / Automotive Engineering	A*AA	AAB
Mechanical Engineering / Biomedical Engineering	A*AA	AAB
Mechanical Engineering / Manufacturing	A*AA	AAB
Mechanical Engineering / Mechatronics	A*AA	AAB
Mechanical Engineering / Sustainable Energy Systems	A*AA	AAB
Mechatronic Engineering	AAA	AAC
Mechatronic Engineering	A*AA	AAB
Medicine BM5	AAA	AAB
Microbiology	ABB	BBC
Modern History and Politics	ABB	BBC
Modern History and Politics with Year Abroad	ABB	BBC
Modern Languages (1 language: French, German or Spanish)	BBB	BCC
Modern Languages (2 languages: French, German, Portuguese or Spanish)	BBB	BCC
Modern Languages (3 languages: Chinese, French, German, Portuguese or Spanish)	BBB	BCC
Modern Languages and Business Management (1 language: French, German or Spanish)	ABB	BBC
Modern Languages and Linguistics (1 Language: French, German or Spanish)	BBB	BCC
Modern Languages and Linguistics (2 languages: French, German or Spanish)	BBB	BCC
Modern Languages and Linguistics (2 languages: French, German or Spanish)	BBB	BCC
Neuroscience	ABB	BBC
Neuroscience	AAB	BBB
Oceanography	ABB	BBC
Oceanography	AAB	BBB
Particle Physics with Research Year Abroad	A*AA	AAB
Pharmacology	ABB	BBC
Pharmacology and Drug Discovery	AAB	BBB
Philosophy	ABB	BBC
Philosophy and Economics	AAB	BBB
Philosophy and English	ABB	BBC
Philosophy and History	ABB	BBC
Philosophy and Politics	ABB	BBC
Philosophy, Ethics and Religion	ABB	BBC
Philosophy, Politics and Economics	AAB	BBB
Physical Geography	ABB	BBC
Physics	AAA	ABB
Physics	A*AA	AAB
Physics with Astronomy	A*AA	AAB
Physics with Industrial Placement	A*AA	AAB
Physics with Mathematics	A*AA	AAB
Physics with Quantum Science and Technologies	A*AA	AAB
Physics with Space Science	A*AA	AAB
Physics with Year of Experimental Research	A*AA	AAB
Product Design	BBC	CCC
Psychology	AAB	BBB
Robotics	AAB	ABC
Robotics with Industrial Placement Year	AAB	ABC
Software Engineering	A*AA	AAB
Software Engineering	A*AA	AAB
Zoology	ABB	BBC
Zoology	AAB	BBB

See every University of Southampton course for the full entry requirements.

University of Southampton's official policy

This page summarises University of Southampton's published contextual offer policy. Meeting the criteria means University of Southampton may make you a contextual offer; it doesn't guarantee one, and some courses (often medicine, dentistry and other heavily oversubscribed courses) can have their own rules. Always check the university's own policy before relying on it.

Other universities' contextual offers

• Aberystwyth University
• Aston University
• Bangor University
• Bath Spa University
• Birmingham City University
• Bournemouth University
• Brunel University of London
• Cardiff Metropolitan University
• Cardiff University
• City St George's, University of London
• Coventry University
• Durham University
• Edge Hill University
• Edinburgh Napier University
• Glasgow Caledonian University
• Goldsmiths, University of London
• Harper Adams University
• Heriot-Watt University
• Imperial College London
• Keele University
• King's College London
• Lancaster University
• London School of Economics and Political Science
• Loughborough University
• Newcastle University
• Northumbria University
• Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh
• Queen's University Belfast
• Robert Gordon University
• Royal Holloway, University of London
• Sheffield Hallam University
• Swansea University
• UWE Bristol
• University College London
• University of Aberdeen
• University of Bath
• University of Birmingham
• University of Bristol
• University of Cambridge
• University of Chester
• University of Chichester
• University of Derby
• University of Dundee
• University of East Anglia
• University of East London
• University of Edinburgh
• University of Exeter
• University of Glasgow
• University of Gloucestershire
• University of Hull
• University of Kent
• University of Lancashire
• University of Leeds
• University of Leicester
• University of Lincoln
• University of Liverpool
• University of Manchester
• University of Plymouth
• University of Reading
• University of Salford
• University of Sheffield
• University of South Wales
• University of Strathclyde
• University of Suffolk
• University of Surrey
• University of Sussex
• University of Wales Trinity Saint David
• University of Warwick
• University of Winchester
• University of Wolverhampton
• University of Worcester
• University of York
• University of the Arts London