1.1 - The University of Bristol aims to:
1.2 - The University will achieve these aims by:
1.3 - The Principles and Procedures through which the University assesses applications and offers places are designed to be:
1.4 - The University will review its Principles and Procedures annually in the light of experience, research and best practice.
2.1 - Under Statute 21 of the University, Senate regulates the admission of students, subject to the Charter, Statutes, Ordinances and Regulations.
2.2 - In 2003 Senate established an Admissions Steering Committee to oversee admissions on its behalf. In 2006, the committee was superseded by the Widening Participation and Admissions Strategy Group, to ensure that key policies and procedures relating to the recruitment and admission of all students are consistent with each other. The Group is chaired by a Pro Vice Chancellor and includes a representative member of the academic staff from each Faculty with current or recent experience of undergraduate admissions, postgraduate admissions, and/or Widening Participation activities, the Academic Registrar, the Director of Student Recruitment, Access and Admissions, the Head of Undergraduate Admissions, the Head of Widening Participation and Undergraduate Student Recruitment, the Director of Student Services, and the President of the Students' Union. The Group has an Undergraduate Admissions Monitoring Sub-Group, a Postgraduate Admissions Monitoring Sub-Group and a Widening Participation Strategy Implementation Sub-Group which meet and report to it on a regular basis.
2.3 - The Widening Participation and Admissions Strategy Group will be responsible for:
2.4 - The Committee will report to the Education Committee, and will make an annual report to Senate. In order to respond to rapidly changing circumstances, the Chairman will be empowered to act on behalf of the Committee between meetings during the recruitment period.
3.1 - The University's website and printed publications will make available clear information on admissions Principles and Procedures and criteria for each course or programme. The University will publish on its website advice to applicants on what the University is looking for in personal statements and to referees on the elements that are helpful in a reference.
3.2 - The reports of the Widening Participation and Admissions Strategy Group will be open documents.
4.1 - All Departments/Schools must act in a way consistent with the University's Admissions Aims and must follow the procedures and principles set out in this document.
4.2 - The University acknowledges that procedures will vary to some extent across subject areas. For example, in some Departments/Schools there is a very high ratio of applications to places, and in others less so. Also, in subjects such as Music and Drama there are issues of performance, while in Medicine and other professional areas there are fitness-to-practise considerations.
4.3 - However, in order to ensure consistency, Departments and Schools are required to submit each year an Admissions Statement, signed by the Head of Department or School, on the entry requirements and local procedures they intend to follow for each course or programme, including joint courses (see below). This will be subject to formal approval by the Widening Participation and Admissions Strategy Group and once approved will be made available to candidates and the general public via the University's website.
4.4 - The Undergraduate Admissions Office will develop web-based support materials for those engaged in admission to undergraduate programmes. Admissions Tutors are required to undergo training provided by the University before they first assume the role and are required to attend a brief refresher session at least every 3 years to ensure they are up to date with relevant changes in legislation, research and qualifications, as well as University policy and practice. The University will offer training that is relevant to the needs of Admissions Tutors and focused on helping them to do their job effectively. Training providers will include staff with professional expertise in the relevant areas of legislation and policy as well as experienced Admissions Tutors.
4.5 - Admissions Tutors must convene a meeting of the Departmental admissions team (ie all those engaged in making decisions about applications), to provide them with guidance and to agree standard criteria. This meeting must take place before any forms are considered.
4.6 - The University will require all Departments/Schools to publish entry profiles for each course or programme, to be made available via UCAS and the University's own publications.
5.1 - In the majority of cases, the Head of Department/School is responsible for the integrity of the admissions process in his or her Department/School. In some areas, such as the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, admissions are organised across Departments, in which case the Dean will identify the person with overall accountability.
5.2 - It is the responsibility of the Head of Department/School (or the person nominated by the Dean) to appoint Departmental Admissions Tutors and to ensure that they understand and support the University's Admissions Aims and Principles and Procedures, are competent to make sound and fair judgments, are appropriately trained and have sufficient resources and time to carry out their responsibilities effectively. Admissions Tutors report to their Head of Department/School, and are expected to work closely with the Director of Recruitment and Admissions and the staff of the Undergraduate Admissions Office. Admissions Tutors play a key role in the life of the University and their importance should be recognised and valued in tangible ways, for example in considering workloads and promotions.
6.1 - In order to ensure consistency and fairness, the general principles and procedures set out in this paper must be followed by all departments and schools. The Widening Participation and Admissions Strategy Group will require a pro-forma Admissions Statement for each Department/School or group of Departments/Schools admitting undergraduate students. The Department/School will use their statement to seek approval from the Committee for the proposed method by which the Department/School will admit students. Admissions Statements will include:
6.2 - For the first year of their introduction, for 2004 entry, Admissions Statements were submitted to the Admissions Steering Committee by September 1, 2003. For subsequent years of entry, Departments and Schools will be requested to submit their Statements in March, for approval by Faculty Admissions Officers, who will report to the May meeting of the Undergraduate Admissions Monitoring Group. The Widening Participation and Admissions Strategy Group will consider a sample of approved Statements for monitoring purposes at its June meeting. The aim will be to approve all Statements by the end of June (provided they are in line with the principles and procedures in this paper).
6.3 - All UCAS forms are considered independently by at least two members of the admissions team (not necessarily both academics).
6.4 - Applications are considered on an equal basis. Forms are not segregated by type of educational institution attended.
6.5 - In general, the University does not require candidates to be interviewed. Departments/Schools may interview candidates, subject to clearly explaining why and how the interview will be used in assessing the candidates, and to following University-approved procedures. These are:
6.6 - In general, the University does not insist that candidates attend a specified Open Day. Departments/Schools may insist on this subject to ensuring candidates understand the obligation to attend and the nature of any interview or discussion they may have with Departmental staff while they are at the University. Where there is an obligation to attend an Open Day the Department/School will ensure that candidates are offered a choice of possible dates and that arrangements are in place to allow for any exceptional circumstance such as illness or hardship.
6.7 - In general, the University does not require candidates to provide supplementary written work. Departments/Schools may ask candidates for an example of their work, or set them a written task, subject to clearly explaining why and how this will be used in assessing the candidate. It may, for example, be appropriate to set work for candidates who proceed to a second stage of selection or shortlist, to distinguish between candidates with similar academic profiles, or to give further consideration to a candidate whose UCAS form does not provide sufficient information on which to base a decision (eg a candidate presenting non-standard qualifications).
6.8 - In general, the University does not require candidates to undertake further tests, eg SAT. Departments/Schools may set an additional test, subject to clearly explaining why and how this will be used in assessing the candidate, and to treating all candidates on an equal and fair basis, as for interviews. It may, for example, be appropriate to set a test for candidates who proceed to a second stage of selection or shortlist, to distinguish between candidates with similar academic profiles, or to give further consideration to a candidate whose UCAS form does not provide sufficient information on which to base a decision (eg a candidate presenting non-standard qualifications).
7.1 - Departments/Schools must set criteria that support the University's Admissions Aims and be in accordance with the principles and procedures in this document.
7.2 - Admissions staff are expected to use professional judgement in assessing the academic potential of individual candidates, taking a number of factors into consideration, including educational and social context. In exercising their judgement, admissions staff must operate in a way that is consistent with the University's Admissions Aims.
7.3 - Actual and/or predicted performance in public examinations is a key indicator of academic potential for degree-level study. Departments/Schools will recognise that a level of performance which is exceptional in its context may indicate outstanding ability, motivation and potential, and will take this into account in assessing the varying performance of candidates.
7.4 - Educational context may be evidenced in a variety of ways, depending on an individual applicant's circumstances. These may include quantifiable evidence of educational disadvantage as defined in para 7.5 or more generic evidence drawn from the applicant's personal statement or reference (see paras 7.9 and 7.11).
7.5 - The University will seek to refine its definition of educational disadvantage on an annual basis. Currently, educational disadvantage is defined as attendance at a school or college where, in the previous year the school or college was ranked in the bottom 40 per cent of all schools and colleges in relation to the average score per ‘A’ Level entry, the average score per ‘A’ Level entrant or the percentage of students applying to Higher Education. For selection purposes, candidates from low performing schools/ colleges may be given a lower offer in relation to those from other schools/ colleges. There is no ‘blanket’ discrimination in favour of candidates from any particular type of background and each case is considered on its individual merits. Information about the relative performance of English schools is readily available. The Recruitment, Access and Admissions Office will endeavour to provide Departments/Schools with information on the performance of schools and colleges outside England, where not all of the above information is readily available.
7.6 - In assessing the weight to be given to academic qualifications over and above 3 A levels and 8 GCSEs (or equivalent), Departments/Schools will recognise that not all schools offer this as an option.
7.7 - Departments/Schools may set minimum entry requirements and may insist on specified performance in a particular subject at GCSE, A level or other examination. They must declare what weight, if any, they will give to qualifications in areas such as General Studies. The Undergraduate Admissions Office provides advice on acceptable non-A level equivalents. An offer to a candidate without a recognised qualification requires the prior approval of the Undergraduate Dean of the Faculty.
7.8 - Departments/Schools must be confident that the candidate has the proficiency in the English language necessary to succeed in the chosen course or programme. In some cases candidates will be required to take an English language test as part of the condition of an offer. The Widening Participation and Admissions Strategy Group will set an appropriate standard requirement for performance in IELTS or other tests. Departments/Schools may set slightly different requirements for specific courses. Please see the University’s English Language Entry Requirements Policy for further information.
7.9 - The Personal Statement and Reference provide important supplementary indications of ability, motivation and potential, as well as information about personal circumstances and social and cultural context. They are read carefully and taken into account in reaching a decision. Criteria for assessing the Personal Statement may include, for example:
Demonstrated interest in and commitment to the subject
Evidence of clear thinking and understanding
Appropriateness of the Bristol course in relation to the candidate's declared interests and aspirations
Non-academic achievement and/or experience, or extra-curricular interests, that indicate the likely contribution a candidate will make to the life of the University
Other relevant skills – eg foreign languages
7.10 - Many universities, including the University of Bristol, offer Access or Compact schemes which encourage students to improve their understanding of the opportunities available to them in Higher Education and to develop study skills to support their transition to university study. The University recognises the value of these schemes in preparing students for Higher Education and, in addition, to recognising participation in our own ‘Access to Bristol’ scheme, has made a specific commitment to giving special consideration (as part of our normal holistic assessment of applications) to applicants who have participated in similar schemes at the following universities: Birmingham; Exeter; Kings College London; Leeds; Leicester; Liverpool; Manchester; Newcastle; Southampton; Warwick.
7.11 - Admissions staff will take into account the candidate's response to the opportunities and challenges faced, in the understanding that these are not the same for all.
7.12 - Allowance will be made for any candidate (from whatever educational sector) with verified exceptional circumstances or who has faced difficult challenges in a positive way, where these are made known to the University (eg illness, death of a parent, poverty, disrupted education, refugee status). The Department/School may decide to offer a place to a candidate whose academic performance appears to have been affected by such circumstances and who might otherwise have been expected to do better.
7.13 - Bristol was established as a university for the city of Bristol and the West of England, yet the number of local students who apply today is relatively low. Whilst the residence of an applicant will not be taken into account when making admissions decisions, the University will continue to work hard to increase the number of appropriately qualified local students applying from the Bristol (BS) postcode area, as part of its engagement with the community from which it originated and its wish to encourage students who, for family, economic or cultural reasons, intend to live at home.
7.14 - In their holistic assessment of the broader context of a candidate's academic achievement, admissions staff may take into account indicators of social context where supported by clear evidence that these may have adversely affected academic achievement. This may include time spent in Local Authority care, information about which is provided on the applicant’s UCAS form. It should be noted that the University does not take the following into consideration when making admissions decisions: the socio-economic group of an applicant, whether an applicant’s parent has any experience of higher education or the type of school attended by the applicant.
7.15 - Candidates are not discriminated against on the grounds of race, ethnicity, nationality, gender, sexuality, religion, disability or age.
7.16 - Consideration of applications from students who declare a disability is based on the same criteria and principles as for other candidates. The University is seeking to reduce any barriers that might confront a student with a disability seeking to study at Bristol. A decision may need to take into account any overriding health and safety concerns, barriers relating to professional requirements, or the University's ability or inability to make any necessary adjustments. Such cases will be addressed on an individual basis. Implementation of the Admissions Principles and Procedures will be sensitive to the different experiences of disabled applicants, and will take into account their response to the opportunities and challenges they have encountered, on the understanding that these may be individual to the applicant. Applicants with a disability are encouraged to disclose this to the University, to enable any necessary adjustments to be planned in support of their education. Failure to do so may impact on the ability to make any necessary reasonable adjustments.
7.17 - Applications from mature and other students who are not applying directly from, or within a year of leaving, school or college, who have non-standard qualifications or who wish work or life experience to be taken into account as part of their application, will be considered on an individual basis, in line with the general aims and principles of the Admissions Principles and Procedures.
7.18 - Attending a non-accredited preparatory course or summer school provided by the University or other agency can help students prepare for university life, but does not in itself guarantee a place, although it may be taken into account as an indicator of motivation and commitment.
7.19 - Admissions staff will disregard any criminal convictions which are spent under the terms of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974, unless the programme of study is likely to bring the student into contact with children or vulnerable adults. If this is the case, a disclosure will be sought through the Criminal Records Bureau. Where an applicant has an unspent (or spent, in relevant cases) conviction, a decision on whether to offer a place will be made by a group convened by the Academic Registrar according to the procedure set out in our guidelines for the recruitment of students with a criminal conviction.
7.20 - The University reserves the right to exclude a candidate who is considered on justifiable grounds to be unsuitable for a place on a particular course or for attendance at the University in general.
7.21 - The University of Bristol is not prepared to admit applicants on the strength of information believed to be either fraudulent or plagiarised, and reserves the right to reject or cancel an application under these circumstances, as outlined in the University statement of policy on fraudulent applications.
8.1 - Wherever possible, all candidates are contacted by the University within 4 weeks of their application being received, to establish contact and inform the candidate of the process to be followed.
8.2 - Departments/Schools will inform the Widening Participation and Admissions Strategy Group in their Admissions Statement of their offer range and criteria. The levels of the conditional offers made must normally be in line with published entry requirements and may not vary substantially from these.
8.3 - Different levels of offer may be made to candidates from low performing schools, to meet individual circumstances or to send an encouraging signal to specific candidates. They are not made on the basis of the educational sector from which the candidate is applying. There are no quotas or targets for different types of school or college.
8.4 - Admissions Tutors may not exceed their maximum allocated numbers without the agreement of the Widening Participation and Admissions Strategy Group. In deciding the quantity of conditional and unconditional offers to be made, Faculty Admissions Officers take into account historic conversion trends (in terms of both offer-to-acceptance and acceptance-to-conditions-met) in order to meet their allocated numbers. In determining the number of offers to be made, they may also take into account the fact that conversion trends may vary for different types of candidate in different subject areas. However, variations in conversion trends for different types of candidate will not affect the selection criteria applied or selection decisions in relation to individual applications. In making such decisions they will be guided by the University's Admissions Aims.
8.5 - Some Departments/Schools may wish to make early offers to attract exceptional candidates, but will need to ensure that mechanisms are in place to ensure that all applications received at UCAS by the January deadline are treated on an equal basis.
9.1 - Confirmation is the name given to the period in August each year when the University receives A level and other UK and international qualification results for any applicants who have accepted conditional offers. On the basis of these results, applicants who achieve the grades required by their conditional offer have their place confirmed. Applications from those students who have not quite met the required grades are reviewed and their places may be confirmed if there are places still available on their course.
9.2 - In order to carry out the Confirmation process described above, the University relies on its computer systems receiving and processing electronic results data from UCAS, for results of A level and some other UK qualifications. In turn UCAS relies on receiving and processing electronic results data from the A level and other UK qualification examination boards. All bodies also rely on the appropriate staff being available to process the examination results. These activities normally have to be accomplished within a tight timescale of three to four working days.
9.3 - The University has contingency plans in place to enable it to cope with failure of these processes (for example, localised computer systems failure, loss of power). However, in the event of some very exceptional circumstances beyond its control (e.g., extensive computer systems failures, mass staff unavailability affecting either students’ ability to sit school leaving examinations or the University’s ability to process results within the necessary time constraints), the University reserves the right to use alternative methods including, but not limited to, use of Admissions Tutors’ prior assessment and/or scoring of UCAS application forms, or any other method(s) deemed most appropriate, to decide which CF (Conditional Firm) applicants to admit to the University’s undergraduate degree programmes for the forthcoming academic year.
9.4 - Should such exceptional circumstances occur, the University will make every possible effort, once normal service is resumed, retrospectively to offer places to CF candidates who had achieved the terms of their offers but who had not been allocated a place under the emergency procedures. Depending on the timescale and availability of places, it might be necessary to offer a place for the following (i.e., deferred entry) academic year.
10.1 - The University currently receives an average of 12 applications per place, which unfortunately means that we have to disappoint many applicants. We aim to send a letter or email to unsuccessful applicants, in order to explain the outcome in general terms by providing contextual data about competition levels, and the admissions procedures followed. The letter/email will be sent at the time the decision is sent to UCAS. Guidance on requesting further feedback is provided in the applicant feedback and complaints procedures.
10.2 - The University will correspond about a decision only with the candidate. There is no right of appeal, and the decision will not be reviewed. However, concerns that the University's admissions principles and procedures have been incorrectly implemented may be investigated under the applicant feedback and complaints procedures.
Note: some of the documents on this page are in PDF format. In order to view a PDF you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader
Last updated by the Office of Student Recruitment, Access and Admissions, 10th December 2009.
Further information and advice on implementing these procedures can be obtained from the Head of Undergraduate Admissions.