Contextual admissions

If you are a UK student from a background that is less represented at university, we can help support you to get a place on an undergraduate degree at Leeds and to get the most from your studies while you are here.

We welcome talented students who have the potential to succeed at university regardless of educational or personal background.

Access to Leeds

Access to Leeds could offer you the chance to study a degree with lower entry requirements than listed on our course pages. This can be two grades lower than the published entry requirement for each course. So for example, if the course entry requirement is AAA - the Access to Leeds offer could be ABB. The programme also offers a study module and support and events to prepare you for university.

You will be eligible for Access to Leeds if you are a UK student and you meet two of the following six criteria:

• You are from a household with an annual income of £25,000 or below or in receipt of 16-19 Bursary Fund or Discretionary Learner Support with an income threshold of £25,000 or in receipt of free school meals during your GCSE studies.
• You are the first generation of your immediate family to go to university.
• You attended a school achieving below the national average at GCSE (Attainment 8 score). Check the attainment score for your school.
• Your studies have been disrupted by circumstances in your personal, social or domestic life.
• You live in an area with low progression to higher education (see our online postcode checker).
• You are care experienced. (You can find out about other support available on our care experienced and estranged students page). 

Find out more about Access to Leeds.

I joined Leeds through the Access to Leeds scheme and found the welcome events really useful. They were run by people who had similar backgrounds to me, so they knew exactly how I was feeling. The whole experience has been massive for my self-confidence.

Low Participation Neighbourhoods (LPN)

If you don’t meet the criteria for Access to Leeds, but you live in a neighbourhood where there is low participation in higher education, we may be able to give priority to your application. This means our admissions staff will take this into account when considering whether to make you an offer and you may be offered the chance to study a degree with lower entry requirements than listed on our course pages. You don’t need to apply separately: if you are from a Low Participation Neighbourhood we will automatically give your UCAS application additional consideration.

Foundation courses for UK students

If you don’t have the formal qualifications for immediate entry to a degree course, you can take a foundation course. Sometimes known as extended degrees, foundation courses help you prepare for degree-level studies and gain the necessary academic background. On successful completion, you will then progress to the first year of your relevant degree course.

Mature and part-time students

Our Lifelong Learning Centre offers a number of degree courses for those returning to study or who want to study part-time. 

These courses have a lower grade requirement than most of our degrees and their entry requirements can include information about your background or work experience. We deliver courses that encourage and support student diversity, with a focus on students from under-represented groups or who don't have traditional qualifications.

We offer extended degrees with a foundation year, pathways into degree study, flexible undergraduate courses for part-time and mature learners, and apprenticeships.

We also offer one-to-one advice sessions and free short courses and events to help you decide whether you want to move on to higher education.

Find out more about our support for mature and part-time students.