Declaring criminal convictions

Declaring a conviction when applying 

For some courses we might ask you to declare any previous spent or unspent criminal activity or punishments that may show up on a criminal record check while you’re applying. This extra information is typically needed for clinical programmes, or courses where you will be working with young or vulnerable people and require Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks. If this applies to your course, we’ll send you further information during the application process.

Disclosure and Barring Service checks

For some courses, you may need to pass a DBS check (or international equivalent) in order to comply with the requirements of the government and relevant professional bodies. Where this applies, we’ll send you information as part of the admissions process.

If your offer requires a DBS check, you won't need to disclose anything other than the category of conviction when you receive an offer. If the DBS check reveals any convictions that would prevent you from completing your studies, your offer will be withdrawn.

Additional criminal convictions policy for dentistry, medicine and healthcare courses

If you’re planning to study in the School of Dentistry, School of Healthcare or School of Medicine, you'll also need to meet their school-level admissions policy. You'll be given more information about this during the application process.

Confirming your undergraduate course if you’re applying for a foundation year 

If your offer includes a foundation year, as part of the declaration process we’ll ask you to confirm the course that you’ll be progressing on to after completing your foundation year.

Visa requirements to study or work abroad

Visa requirements may prevent you from entering certain countries. If your course requires you to complete a module or placement abroad, you should check whether any criminal convictions you have could prevent you from entering that country.

We aim to admit a wide range of students to study at Leeds and we don't want to exclude students with criminal records. However, we have a duty of care to protect our community and provide a safe and secure environment for our students, staff and members of the public. This can include children under the age of 18 and other vulnerable people in line with our safeguarding policy (PDF).

We ask for information about convictions so that we’re able to identify and minimise any potential risks. We also use the information to assess your suitability for your course or to stay in University accommodation and to make any reasonable adjustments where appropriate. 

We’ll decide whether a conviction gives reasonable grounds for thinking that your admission would:

• Pose a threat to the safety of staff, students, visitors, those coming into contact with you during your studies or others involved in University business.
• Be contrary to the law or the requirements or guidance of any relevant professional, statutory or regulatory body.

Where third parties are involved in the delivery of a programme, you may also have to meet the requirements of such third parties. 

We treat all declarations confidentially. Information is only used to carry out the risk assessment and any risk management steps identified. All information is stored in an encrypted format and only accessible by the relevant members of staff as detailed in our criminal conviction policy.

If your conviction isn’t considered relevant, we won't keep any information declared to us.

If your conviction is considered relevant, the amount of time we'll keep the information will depend on the outcome of the risk assessment process:

• If you’re admitted to the University, the information will be kept until your conviction is spent or until six months after you leave the University, whichever comes first.
• If you’re not admitted to the University, whether because of your criminal conviction or for another reason, such as not achieving the grades of your offer, the information will be kept until six months after the last date on which you could have registered for your course if you’d been admitted.

You must notify the University as soon as possible. Email the declaration inbox at declaration@leeds.ac.uk in order for a risk assessment to be carried out before your admission. Please note that you won’t be able to register for your course until a risk assessment has been completed and the outcome communicated with you, with any restrictions (if applicable) accepted.

If you don't declare a relevant unspent conviction, your offer could be withdrawn. If you’ve already registered, you may be asked to leave the University.

You have the right to appeal a decision. To do this, email the Head of Student Cases at studentcases@leeds.ac.uk. Grounds for appeal are outlined in our Applicants and students with a criminal record policy page.