Contextual offers › What is a contextual offer?
A contextual offer is a university offer with lower grades than usual, made because of your background, such as where you live, the school you went to, or being in care. It's most often two grades lower than the standard offer.
100 UK universities publish a contextual offer scheme for 2027 entry. This page explains how they work. To see which ones you could qualify for, use the free checker.
Check if you qualify →Of the 26 universities where we can compare the standard and contextual offer course by course:
Each university sets its own criteria. These are the most common across all 100 schemes:
A typical University of Bristol offer is AAA. Someone who meets its contextual criteria could get ABB instead, two grades lower.
"Contextual admissions" is the whole process of a university looking at your background alongside your grades. A lower offer is one possible result. Others include a guaranteed interview, a guaranteed offer, or extra consideration of your application. Each university's page lists what its scheme gives you.
Usually not. Most universities identify eligible applicants from the UCAS application itself: your postcode, your school and boxes you tick, such as being in care. Some schemes also ask you to complete an outreach programme or send extra information, which each university's page explains.
No. A contextual offer is a normal conditional offer with lower grades. Once you meet it, your place is the same as anyone else's on the course.
Often, but medicine, dentistry and other heavily oversubscribed courses frequently have their own contextual rules, separate from the university's main scheme. Check the policy for the specific course.
Find out which of the 100 schemes you could qualify for. Takes about two minutes, no sign-up.
Check if you qualify →Next: every university that gives contextual offers, and how much lower they are →
Data updated . Figures are counted from each university's published contextual offer policy.