Access to Bristol
Access to Bristol provides local students with an opportunity to experience life at the University of Bristol.
Applications for Access to Bristol 2024-25 will open at 09:00am on Monday 2 September and close at 23:45pm on Sunday 6 October.
What is Access to Bristol?
Eligibility
Benefits
Term dates and times
Subjects
What is Access to Bristol?
The Access to Bristol scheme is for local students taking A-levels, BTECs, Access to HE courses or equivalents.
- A unique way to experience what studying at the University of Bristol as a local student might be like
- A chance to discover more about a subject you are interested in from current university students and academic staff
- A fantastic enrichment opportunity that will offer tailored information, advice and guidance to help students make an informed decision about higher education
Successful completers of the scheme will be guaranteed a contextual offer/interview from Bristol, a top ten UK university (QS World University Rankings 2025).
For further information about the scheme, please read our Access to Bristol 2024-25 brochure. Access to Bristol brochure 2024-25 (PDF, 8,969kB)
Eligibility
The scheme is only open to students who meet all of the following criteria.
You must:
- be a Home fee student;
- attend a state school or college;
- be resident in a BA, BS or other local postcode within an hour's journey of the University of Bristol (including South Wales);
- be in your first or second year of A-Level study (or equivalent);
- have the academic ability to study at the University of Bristol (meeting the GCSE entry requirements for their chosen subject stream and studying any required Level 3 subjects).
If a subject stream is oversubscribed, we will prioritise students who meet our widening participation criteria:
- are or have been eligible for free school meals;
- live in an IMD quintile 1 area as defined by your home postcode;
- be considered a mature student (over 21 years old when you will begin your degree);
- are from a Black or Asian background or of a mixed background featuring one of these groups*;
- have spent three or more months in local authority care;
- are currently an estranged student;
- are from Gypsy, Traveller, Roma, Showmen and Boater (GTRSB) communities;
- attend an aspiring state school or college;
- are from any other minority ethnic background;
- are part of the first generation in their family to go to university;
- have caring responsibilities;
- have refugee status;
- have a disability;
- have a parent or carer who currently serves in the UK Armed Forces, or who has done so in the past.
*With additional priority assigned to the following underrepresented ethnic groups at UoB: Asian Pakistani; Asian Bangladeshi; Black Caribbean; Black African; or of a mixed backgrounds featuring one of these groups.
We recommend that you discuss your application to the programme with your Head of Sixth Form prior to applying as you will need your school or college to grant your permission to attend the scheme. You will also need to list a "Key Contact" (usually your Head of Sixth form) on your application form.
Benefits of Access to Bristol
Guaranteed contextual offer or interview
If you successfully complete the Access to Bristol scheme, and depending on the course(s) that you choose to apply for, you may be eligible for a guaranteed contextual offer or interview to study at Bristol provided you meet the contextual entry requirements for that course.
For courses that do not routinely interview as part of the admissions process, you will be guaranteed a contextual offer (typically two A-Level grades below standard entry requirements) to study at Bristol provided you are studying any specified A-Level subjects and meet any additional requirements for your chosen course (e.g. GCSE or equivalent grades).
For courses that require an interview as part of the admissions process, such as Medicine or Dentistry, you will be guaranteed an interview for that course provided you are predicted to meet or exceed the contextual entry requirements for that course; you meet any GCSE or equivalent requirements; and you have completed the relevant aptitude test such as the UCAT by the appropriate deadline. Following interview, you may be made an offer at the contextual level.
This benefit can apply to multiple courses should you choose to submit multiple course applications to Bristol.
Please note that terms and conditions apply.
If you are studying A-levels/BTEC
For most courses, you will be guaranteed an offer at the contextual level, provided that you meet the full entry requirements of the course applied for. Entry requirements are displayed on our course pages. Students undertaking the appropriate subjects but not predicted the contextual offer will usually be made an aspirational offer.
If the course holds interviews as part of the selection process you will be guaranteed an interview (for example, Medicine or Dentistry). The interview will only be guaranteed if your predicted grades meet the contextual entry requirements and you meet the GCSE subject requirements. Applicants must still complete the UCAT in order to receive the guaranteed interview.
Please note: we do not currently have BTEC contextualised offers. This means that your BTEC subject(s) offer will not be made any lower than stated on course pages.
If you are studying Access to HE
For most courses, you will be guaranteed an offer to study, providing full entry requirements are met. Entry requirements are displayed on our course pages.
For a small number of courses within the Faculty of Science, as well as Medicine/Dentistry or other interviewing subjects, Access to HE students will be guaranteed an interview. These courses often interview to ensure that Access to HE students have the required grounding in Mathematics and/or Physics.
Please note: the Access to HE qualification is already at the contextual level, in recognition that students returning to study may face additional barriers to entering HE. This means that your offer will not be made any lower than stated.
Term dates and times
For the 2024-25 iteration of Access to Bristol, we are introducing a new Study Skills session to take place online on Zoom at the start of each term.
This session aims to support students with the soft skills needed to transition from Level 3 study to Higher Education, and has been developed in collaboration with the University’s Study Skills team.
As always, Access to Bristol participants will be expected to attend all sessions to successfully complete the scheme, including the online Study Skills session and five on-campus sessions.
Access to Bristol takes place on Wednesday afternoons. On campus, registration takes place from 1.30-1.55pm and academic sessions take place from 2.00-4.00pm.
Autumn term 2024: 30 October (online), 6 November, 13 November, 20 November, 27 November, 4 December (on campus)
Spring term 2025: 22 January (online), 29 January, 5 February, 12 February, 26 February, 5 March (on campus)
Subjects
You can view a brief overview of the subjects we offer and the term(s) they run below.
Click on a subject to view the term they are running, year groups and specific requirements.
For further information, please read our Access to Bristol 2024-25 brochure. Access to Bristol brochure 2024-25 (PDF, 8,969kB)
Arts and Humanities
English Literature
Term(s) running
Autumn and Spring
Year group(s)
Year 12, Year 13, Access to HE
Specific subject requirements
This stream is only open to students studying English Literature or combined English Literature and Language at A-level or equivalent.
Film and TV
Term(s) running
Spring
Year group(s)
Year 12
Specific subject requirements
No specific subject requirements at A-level or equivalent.
History
Term(s) running
Spring
Year group(s)
Year 12 only
Specific subject requirements
Students must be studying History at A-level or equivalent.
Modern Languages
Term(s) running
Spring
Year group(s)
Year 12 only
Specific subject requirements
Previously, this stream was only open to students studying a modern language A-level or equivalent. Where a candidate is not taking an A-level in a modern language, we may accept ABB plus a standalone language qualification at CEFR level B1. Further details are available on our Modern Language Requirements page.
Engineering and Computer Science
Engineering
Term(s) running
Autumn and Spring
Year group(s)
Year 12, Year 13, Access to HE
Specific subject requirements
This stream is suitable for students studying Mathematics and any one of Physics, Chemistry, Further Mathematics, Computer Science or Electronics at A-level or equivalent.
As Engineering is such a broad subject, we do our best to showcase the different types of Engineering on offer at Bristol during your time on Access to Bristol.
Computer Science
Term(s) running
Autumn
Year group(s)
Year 13, Access to HE
Specific subject requirements
Students must be studying Mathematics at A-level or equivalent.
Life Sciences
Biological Sciences
Term(s) running
Autumn
Year group(s)
Year 13, Access to HE
Specific subject requirements
This stream is suitable for students studying Biology and a science-related subject at A-level. Science-related subjects can include: Biology; Chemistry; Computer Science; Economics; Electronics; Environmental Sciences; Further Mathematics; Geography; Geology; Mathematics; Physics; Psychology; and Statistics.
Biomedical Sciences
Term(s) running
Autumn and Spring
Year group(s)
Year 12, Year 13, Access to HE
Specific subject requirements
This stream is suitable for students studying Chemistry and a second Core science subject or Mathematics at A-level. Core science subjects include: Biology, Further Mathematics, Human Biology, Mathematics and Physics.
Psychology
Term(s) running
Autumn and Spring
Year group(s)
Year 12, Year 13, Access to HE
Specific subject requirements
This stream is suitable for students studying at least one science-related subject (Biology; Chemistry; Computer Science; Further Mathematics; Geography; Mathematics; Physics; Psychology; Statistics).
GCSE/additional requirements
This stream is only open to students with a grade 6/B in GCSE Maths or equivalent. If you do not currently have these grades but plan to re-sit, please let us know in your Access to Bristol application.
Science
Chemistry
Term(s) running
Spring
Year group(s)
Year 12 only
Specific subject requirements
This stream is only open to students currently studying Chemistry at A-level or equivalent.
GCSE/additional requirements
This stream is only open to students with a grade 6/B in GCSE Maths or equivalent. If you do not currently have these GCSE grades but plan to re-sit, please let us know in your Access to Bristol application.
Earth and Environmental Sciences
Term(s) running
Spring
Year group(s)
Year 12 only
Specific subject requirements
This stream is suitable for students studying two science-related subjects. Science-related subjects include: Biology, Chemistry, Further Mathematics, Mathematics, Physics, Environmental Science, Geology, Computer Science, Geography and Marine Science at A-level or equivalent.
GCSE/additional requirements
This stream is only open to students with a grade 6/B in GCSE Maths or equivalent. If you do not currently have these GCSE grades but plan to re-sit, please let us know in your Access to Bristol application.
Geography
Term(s) running
Spring
Year group(s)
Year 12
Specific subject requirements
No specific subject requirements at A-level or equivalent, however, a lower entry requirement is available to students who are studying three specified subjects at A-level. Specified subjects include: Biology; Chemistry; Computer Science; Computing; Design and Technology: Product Design 3D; Environmental Science; Further Mathematics; Geography; Geology; Human Biology; Information Communication Technology; Marine Science; Mathematics; Physics; and Statistics.
Mathematics
Term(s) running
Autumn
Year group(s)
Year 13, Access to HE
Specific subject requirements
This stream is only open to students studying Maths and another Maths-related subject at A-level or equivalent. Maths-related subjects include: Biology; Chemistry; Computer Science; Economics; Physics.
Physics
Term(s) running
Spring
Year group(s)
Year 12 only
Specific subject requirements
This stream is only open to students studying both Maths and Physics at A-level or equivalent.
Social Sciences and Law
Business Management
Term(s) running
Spring
Year group(s)
Year 12 only
Specific subject requirements
No specific subject requirements at A-level or equivalent.
GCSE/additional requirements
This stream is only open to students with a grade 6/B in GCSE Maths or equivalent. If you do not currently have these GCSE grades but plan to re-sit, please let us know in your Access to Bristol application.
Childhood and Education Studies
Term(s) running
Autumn
Year group(s)
Year 13, Access to HE
Specific subject requirements
No specific subject requirements at A-level or equivalent.
Economics
Term(s) running
Autumn
Year group(s)
Year 13, Access to HE
Specific subject requirements
Students must be studying Mathematics at A-level or equivalent.
Law
Term(s) running
Autumn and Spring
Year group(s)
Year 12, Year 13, Access to HE
Specific subject requirements
No specific subject requirements at A-level or equivalent.
Social Sciences: Sociology, Politics, Criminology and Social Policy
Term(s) running
Spring
Year group(s)
Year 12 only
Specific subject requirements
This stream is only open to students studying at least one essay-based subject at A-level. Essay-based subjects include: Ancient History; Anthropology; Archaeology; Art and Design (all pathways); Business Studies; Chinese; Classical Civilisation; Classics; Drama; Economics; English Language; English Language and Literature; English Literature; Environmental Science; Environmental Studies; Film; French; Geography; German; Government and Politics; Greek; Health and Social Care; History; History of Art; Italian; Latin; Law; Media Studies; Music; Performance; Philosophy; Politics; Portuguese; Psychology; Religious Studies; Russian; Social Care; Social Policy; Sociology; Spanish; Theatre Studies and Welsh.
Specific subject requirements
This stream is only open to students with a grade 4/C in GCSE Maths or equivalent. If you do not currently have these GCSE grades but plan to re-sit, please let us know in your Access to Bristol application.
Health Sciences
Dentistry
Term(s) running
Autumn
Year group(s)
Year 12, Access to HE
Specific subject requirements
Students must be studying Chemistry, and one of either Biology, Physics, Mathematics or Further Mathematics at A-level or equivalent.
GCSE/additional requirements
This stream is only open to students with a grade 4/C or above in GCSE English (Lit or Lang), and a 7/A in GCSE Maths or equivalent. If you do not currently have these GCSE grades but plan to re-sit, please let us know in your Access to Bristol application.
Medicine
Term(s) running
Autumn
Year group(s)
Year 12, Access to HE
Specific subject requirements
Students must be studying Chemistry, and one of either Biology, Physics, Mathematics or Further Mathematics at A-level or equivalent.
GCSE/additional requirements
This stream is only open to students with a grade 4/C or above in GCSE English (Lit or Lang), and a 7/A in GCSE Maths or equivalent. If you do not currently have these GCSE grades but plan to re-sit, please let us know in your Access to Bristol application.
Veterinary Science
Term(s) running
Autumn
Year group(s)
Year 12, Access to HE
Specific subject requirements
Students must be studying Chemistry, and one of either Biology, Physics, Mathematics or Further Mathematics at A-level or equivalent.
GCSE/additional requirements
This stream is only open to students with a grade 4/C or above in GCSE English (Lit or Lang), and a 4/C in GCSE Maths or equivalent. If you do not currently have these GCSE grades but plan to re-sit, please let us know in your Access to Bristol application.
Please note that where a stream is undersubscribed, students in Year 12 may be invited to take part in subject streams that are running in Autumn for Year 13 students. If you are a Year 12 applicant, you will be able to indicate your Autumn subject stream preference on the application form.
Contact us
If you have any questions about Access to Bristol, or if you need any assistance with the application form, please get in touch with Kath (Access to Bristol Coordinator) at access-to-bristol@bristol.ac.uk.
I owe my university experience to Access to Bristol - without the programme, I would not be where I am today. Knowing I had the contextual offer in my back pocket allowed me to control some of that A Level exam stress, but also motivated me to achieve those grades so that I could go to Bristol, as the Access to Bristol programme really made me want to go here.