Contextual admissions
We are committed to supporting and nurturing all talented students. We believe a diverse student body benefits everyone and our recruitment and application processes are designed to encourage all applicants with the potential to thrive to come and study with us.
Our admissions policy considers your personal circumstances and the educational context in which your achievements have been made. You could receive a reduced offer of up to 16 UCAS tariff points, (or equivalent) depending on your individual circumstances and the course you select. For example, if the standard entry requirement for your course is 120 UCAS tariff points, which translates to BBB at A Level, you may receive an offer of 104 UCAS tariff points which is two A Level grades lower at BCC.
Am I eligible?
To be eligible for an 8 UCAS tariff point reduction, one of the following statements must apply to you. To be eligible for a 16 UCAS tariff point reduction, two or more of the following statements must apply to you:
- You live in one of the following postal locations:
DH, DL, NE, SR, TS, CA1, CA14, HU5, HU8, LA9, LS3, OL12, PR1, PR25, SK2,WA4, WF8, YO12, YO23 - You live in a neighbourhood of low participation in higher education. This is classified by your postcode being in Participation of Local Areas (POLAR) quintiles 1 and 2. This methodology looks at how likely young people are to participate in higher education across the UK and varies by area. Quintile 1 shows the lowest rate of participation and quintile 5 shows the highest. We will also accept those whose postcode falls under Tracking Underrepresented by Area (TUNDRA) quintiles 1 and 2. Search your postcode on the OfS website
- You are the first generation in your immediate family to attend university
- You are care-experienced or irreconcilably estranged from your family
- You are an asylum seeker or refugee
- You have caring responsibilities
The following criteria also apply but are not part of the UCAS application form. We will need you to email evidence of meeting these criteria to student.admin@sunderland.ac.uk:
- You receive free school meals or were eligible within the last six years
- You are part of the Gypsy, Traveller, Roma, Showmen or Boater communities
- You are a student from a UK armed forces family (military service child)
Guidance notes
- You must be classed as a ‘Home’ student for fee purposes and paying full tuition fees
- You must be a first-year student applying to start a minimum of a three-year, full-time undergraduate course
- Contextual offers cannot be used against Foundation degrees or Integrated Foundation Years
- If you do not meet the requirements of your contextual offer, you will automatically be offered a place on an Integrated Foundation Year, should your course have one
- The maximum tariff points that can be offered is 16. Tariff point adjustments cannot be used in conjunction with each other
- A contextual offer does not negate any other selection process or entry requirements. For example, you will need to successfully pass your interview or provide evidence of compliance for courses that require these
- All contextual offers, except the Med Start programme, exclude Medicine
Published: 6 December 2024