You will be eligible for a contextual offer if you are applying from an aspiring state school or college.

In England, we define aspiring state schools and colleges as those in the bottom 40 per cent for either:

• progression to higher education, or
• average attainment in A-levels, International Baccalaureate, Pre-U and Extended Projects qualifications

based on the latest school performance and destination data available from the Department for Education.

In Wales, we define aspiring state schools and colleges as those which fall in the bottom 40 per cent for either:

• application to higher education, or
• average attainment in A-levels or any equivalent qualifications

based on the latest school performance data available from the Welsh government and UCAS application data.

If you are currently attending school and applying between September 2018 and June 2019, you must apply through a school or college listed in one of the lists via the links below to be eligible.

English 2018/19 schools and colleges eligible for contextual offer (PDF, 580kB)

Welsh 2018/19 schools and colleges eligible for contextual offer (PDF, 101kB)

If you are not currently attending school, you must have been in full-time education in the 2017/18 academic year at a school or college in the lists below and you must be applying between September 2018 and June 2019 to be eligible:

English 2017/18 schools and colleges eligible for contextual offer (PDF, 1,088kB)

Welsh 2017/18 schools and colleges eligible for contextual offer (PDF, 95kB)

We use the 'applying from' school code or the education history on your UCAS form to determine the school or college you have attended, so you must ensure these are correct when you apply.

Inclusion on the contextual offer list is not a judgement of the quality of the institution. We recognise that many of the schools and colleges on the list have been deemed outstanding in many respects.

You will be eligible for a contextual offer if you currently live in an area that has a low rate of progression to higher education according to POLAR3 data. To determine this, we use the home address on your UCAS application form.

You can check whether your address qualifies by entering your postcode into the POLAR checking tool. The number in the POLAR3 young participation quintile column must be 1 or 2 for your address to qualify. If your address is in a low progression area, you may also qualify for the University of Bristol Accommodation Bursary which is a discount of up to £1,040 on rent at University-allocated accommodation.

Check your postcode

More information on POLAR classifications can be found on the Office for Students website.

Please note that the University of Bristol had planned to use POLAR4 data for the 2018-19 application cycle. However, due to technical issues we are unable to use POLAR4 data, and will use POLAR3 data as in previous years. It is important to note that some postcodes which would be classified as low participation in POLAR4 are not classified as such in POLAR3.

If you complete an academically focused outreach programme at the University, you will be eligible for a contextual offer. These include:

• Access to Bristol
• Insight into Bristol
• Pathways to Health Sciences
• Pathways to Law at the University of Bristol
• Sutton Trust Summer School at the University of Bristol

If you have spent three months or more in local authority care, you will be eligible for a contextual offer.

Please tick the box in the care questions on your UCAS application. If your reference confirms that you’ve spent three months or more in local authority care, our admissions team will process your application. If not, we’ll ask you to send us some more information, such as an email or letter from your local authority, school/college or other organisation.

Care leavers and estranged students may be eligible for our Standalone Bursary of £1,500 each year in addition to the University of Bristol Bursary of up to £2,060 a year and our Accommodation Bursary which is a discount of up to £1,040 on rent of university accommodation. These students are also encouraged to apply for the Unite Foundation Scholarship which provides free accommodation for three years.

Please note: The above figures are for 2019 entry and may change in subsequent years.

Find out more about the support the University of Bristol provides to care leavers.