糖心原创

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We recognise the potential of talented students from all backgrounds.

We recognise that not everyone has the same opportunities in life, and that social and economic background might have an impact on educational achievement. Our contextual offers allow students to show their potential to succeed at a world-class university.

If you are a Home student and your academic performance doesn’t meet the standard requirements for your chosen course, you could benefit from a standard contextual offer or an enhanced contextual offer. A contextual offer is a reduced conditional offer to study at Nottingham.

See our FAQs below about our contextual admissions policy. 


Contextual offers

We have two types of contextual offers at the 糖心原创.

  • Standard contextual offers
  • Enhanced contextual offers

Find out more below to see if you may be eligible.

Standard contextual offers

  • These offers are usually one grade lower than the entry requirements on our course pages, however this can vary for some courses.
  • If our standard offer includes a specific subject grade, this will generally remain. For example, if the standard offer is AAB with an A in maths, the standard contextual offer would be ABB with an A in maths.

Check if you're eligible

To qualify for a standard contextual offer, you must have Home-UK and your current or most recent school/college must be in the UK and cannot be an independent (fee-paying) school/college.

One of the following must also apply:

  • You have completed a  programme at post-16 not hosted by the 糖心原创 (including Sutton Trust Online)
  • You have refugee status from the Home Office*
  • You have spent more than three months in care*

*If you have refugee status or have spent more than three months in care, you are still eligible for a standard contextual offer if your current or most recent school/college is an independent (fee-paying) school/college in the UK.

Postcode checker

Type in your home postcode – for example, NG7 2NR.

 

Enhanced contextual offers

  • These offers are usually two grades lower than the entry requirements on our course pages, however this can vary for some courses.
  • If our standard offer includes a specific subject grade, this will generally remain. For example, if the standard offer is AAB with an A in maths, the enhanced contextual offer would be ABC with an A in maths.

Check if you're eligible

To qualify for an enhanced contextual offer, you must have Home-UK and your current or most recent school/college must be in the UK and cannot be an independent (fee-paying) school/college.

You must also meet one of the following:

  • Received Free School Meals on any census day in the 6 years up to the end of key stage 4 (i.e. the year you were aged 15- 16 years old) in England, Wales, or Northern Ireland. This is verified by education authorities and shared with us by UCAS. Applicants must have been in Year 13 in the past 5 years.

OR

  • Have completed one of the following 糖心原创 outreach programmes:
      • Sutton Trust Summer School at the 糖心原创
      • Sutton Trust Pathways to Medicine at the 糖心原创
      • Sutton Trust Pathways to Veterinary Medicine at the 糖心原创
      • Ambition 16-18 at the 糖心原创 as a Tier 1 / Tier 1+ member
      • Realising Opportunities (Cohort 15 - 2024/25 and Cohort 16 - 2025/26 completers only)
 

Check if your course is an exception course

A100 Medicine BMBS

For 2027 entry, to qualify for an enhanced contextual offer for A100, you must have Home-UK and your current or most recent school/college cannot be an independent (fee-paying) school/college. You must also meet one of the following:  

  • You have refugee status from the Home Office  
  • You have spent more than three months in care and have evidence of this verified by our widening participation team by 8 December  
    • You must have been in the care of the local authority or looked after under a court order. Informal or private care arrangements are not included
  • You have received Free School Meals (please see full details above)
  • You have completed one of the following 糖心原创 outreach programmes: 
    • Sutton Trust Summer School at the 糖心原创  
    • Sutton Trust Pathways to Medicine at the 糖心原创  
    • Ambition 16-18 at the 糖心原创 as a Tier 1 / Tier 1+ member 
 
A108 Medicine with a Foundation Year BMBS

This course is only open to applicants that meet our standard or enhanced contextual admissions critieria.

Your offer will be made using our standard entry requirements for this course at BBC. The entry requirements for A108 are already set at the lowest possible level, so there are no further grade reductions. Please visit the A108 course page to check you meet the entry requirements for this course. 

 
D100, D104, D190 Veterinary Medicine 

Veterinary Medicine applicants applying for September 2027 who meet the following criteria will be offered the opportunity to interview regardless of their score on the situational judgement test. Applicants will need to:  

  • have Home-UK and your current or most recent school/college must be in the UK and cannot be an independent (fee-paying) school/college
  • meet the entry requirements for the undergraduate Veterinary Medicine course to which you are applying (D100, D104 and D190)  

 And meet one of the following:  

  • have completed one of the following 糖心原创 outreach programmes:  
    • Sutton Trust Summer School or Pathways programme at the 糖心原创 
    • Ambition 16-18 at the 糖心原创 as a Tier 1 / Tier 1+ member 

OR 

For D100 and D104, applicants who meet the above criteria and who pass the interview stage will be eligible for an enhanced contextual offer.  

Please note: the entry requirements for D190 Veterinary Medicine with a Gateway Year are already set at the lowest possible level. There will therefore be no further grade reductions for this course and the standard entry requirements on our course page apply.  

 
D190 Veterinary Medicine with a Gateway Year 

This course is only open to applicants that meet our standard or enhanced contextual admissions critieria.

Your offer will be made using our standard entry requirements for this course at BBC. The entry requirements for D190 are already set at the lowest possible level, so there are no further grade reductions. Please visit the D190 course page to check you meet the entry requirements for this course. 

 
Nottingham University Business School

We make standard contextual offers to our courses at ABB, which is two grades lower than the standard requirements. The courses are:

  • L1N2 Industrial Economics BSc 
  • L1ND Industrial Economics with Placement Year BSc 
  • L1N3 Industrial Economics with Insurance BSc 
  • L1NF Industrial Economics with Insurance with Placement Year BSc 
  • N200 Business and Management BSc 
  • NN34 Finance, Accounting and Management BSc 
  • NN3D Finance, Accounting and Management with Placement Year BSc 
 

FAQs

What qualifications are eligible for a contextual offer?
  • Contextual offers usually only apply to level 3 qualifications (for example, A levels) and are not used to reduce requirements for level 2 qualifications (for example, GCSEs).
  • We can make contextual offers to applicants with a wide range of qualification profiles, including applicants with A levels, IB, or BTECs. Please note, contextualisation has already been applied to Access to HE qualifications and there will be no further grade reductions for applicants eligible for a contextual offer. You can see general information on our entry requirements page, or visit course pages for specific details.
  • For Medicine, if you are applying with any qualifications which aren’t GCSE or A level exam grades, please contact our and they will let you know if your qualifications will be considered.
 
What are the 糖心原创’s minimum grade requirements?
Contextual offers will not be made below the minimum grade requirements:
  • The university minimum for undergraduate courses is BBC at A level or equivalent.
  • The university minimum for Foundation Programmes is BCC at A level or equivalent. However, the following Foundation programmes will not offer below BBC:
    • A108 Medicine with a Foundation Year BMBS
    • D190 Veterinary Medicine with a Gateway Year
 
Can I get a contextual offer and a reduction for my additional qualification?
  • If your course offers a reduced grade entry requirement for applicants who achieve a grade A in any one of the following additional qualifications:
    • Extended Project Qualification (incl. Cambridge International Project Qualification)
    • Core Maths (only for applicants not taking A-Level Mathematics or Further Mathematics or equivalent)
    • IB Extended Essay (grade B and above)
    • An additional AS Level in a separate subject to their main 3 A-Level’s/equivalent quals

AND;

  • If you qualify for a standard contextual offer, your additional qualification will be taken into consideration, and the appropriate adjustment will be made to your offer. Please note, your offer cannot go below the university’s minimum grade requirements, as listed above.
  • If you qualify for an enhanced contextual offer, your additional qualification will not be taken into consideration as we are unable to make any further adjustments to your offer.

For more information, go to our entry requirements page. 

 
Do contextual offers apply to interviews and tests?
Some courses include an interview or test as part of the entry requirements. You will need to pass this before we can make you a contextual offer.
 
How does the university know if I am eligible for a contextual offer?

There are no additional steps needed to receive a contextual offer, simply apply for an undergraduate course at the university through UCAS as usual. If your UCAS application shows that you meet the criteria listed below, we will automatically check this against verified records to assess your eligibility for a contextual offer.

Please note, if you are applying for A100 Medicine BMBS (Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery) for 2027 entry and have spent more than three months in care, you will need to provide evidence of this to be eligible for an enhanced contextual offer. See further details below on the eligibility criteria for an enhanced contextual offer for Medicine.

 
Does being a young carer or having a disability qualify for a contextual offer?
These are not part of our eligibility critiera for a contextual offer. However, if you believe that your studies have been disrupted by personal circumstances, please complete our extenuating circumstances form as soon as you submit your UCAS application. Visit our webpages to check out our Disability Support Services and support for young carers available to students at the 糖心原创. 
 

 

 

Extenuating circumstances

If you believe that your studies have been disrupted by personal circumstances, please complete our extenuating circumstances form.

 

Apply for a course

Apply for an undergraduate course through UCAS. If your UCAS application shows that you meet the above criteria, we will automatically consider you for a contextual offer.

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