Naomi Abayasekara, Policy Adviser and project lead, explains how UUK, UCAS and The Sutton Trust are working together to make contextual admissions clearer and more transparent for applicants.
How do universities currently use contextual admissions?
For many years, universities have been working hard to widen access to higher education, so more people can benefit from the opportunities that university offers.
As part of this, many universities now use contextual admissions. Contextual admissions is the overall term for the practice of universities considering an applicant’s individual circumstances and background to better understand their potential to succeed in higher education. This practice allows universities to take structural factors into account when making admissions decisions, placing achievement in the wider context of someone’s background and admitting students based on their potential to succeed and benefit from higher education. Research shows that this can be an effective intervention, with contextual admissions helping students from underrepresented backgrounds to access university and achieve strong degree outcomes while they are there.
Due to this growing evidence base, many universities have adopted contextual admissions policies. However, our research has shown that current practice varies considerably across the sector in England, both in how contextual admissions interventions are implemented and in who is determined to be eligible. We have heard through this project that this significant diversity in practice makes the admissions system harder to navigate. As a result, some applicants who could benefit from support are currently unable to receive it.
I remember when I read my offer, I just felt seen. I came from a secondary school in Liverpool where only 8% of people passed English and Maths and I worked EXTREMELY hard to excel in my GCSEs. It really wasn’t a level playing field. In the end, I didn’t even need to use the reduced offer, but I definitely had more confidence in myself because of it. I felt wanted!
Fiorella Gallardo Sarti
University of Cambridge graduate and Sutton Trust alum
How can we improve contextual admissions?
To address this, Universities UK launched a joint project with UCAS and The Sutton Trust in 2025. The project had a clear aim to build on sector progress and improve the consistency and transparency of contextual admissions practice across the sector in England. This will make it easier for more applicants to benefit from support.
Drawing on the expertise, insights, and networks of our three organisations, we have worked with the sector over the past year. Together, we have explored what best practice in contextual admissions looks like and where more evidence and guidance is needed. The project has been steered by an expert advisory group, chaired by Professor Karen O’Brien.
Advisory group
- Naomi Abayasekara, Policy Adviser and project lead at Universities UK
- Ben Jordan, Director of Strategy, Policy and Participation at UCAS
- Tracey Tynan, Director of Communications and Advocacy at The Sutton Trust
- Professor Karen O’Brien FRSA, Vice-Chancellor and Warden of Durham University
- Professor Dame Sally Mapstone DBE, FRSE, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of St Andrews
- Professor Shân Wareing, Vice-Chancellor of Middlesex University
- Emma Hall, Deputy Director Marketing, Recruitment & Admissions at Edge Hill University and ARC APG representative
- Dr Wendy Fowle EdD, PFHEA, Dean for Student Outcomes at Oxford Brookes University and Co-Chair of FACE
- Dr Omar Khan, CEO of TASO
- Maggie Smart, Director of Data and Analysis at UCAS
- Professor Vikki Bolliver, Professor of Sociology at Durham University
- Professor Lee Elliot Major, Professor of Social Mobility at University of Exeter
- Sunday Blake, Education Policy and Parliamentary Engagement Manager at GuildHE
- Claire Green, Post-16 and Skills Specialist at ASCL
- Eddie Playfair, Senior Policy Manager at Association of Colleges (AoC)
Publications
Using this sector insight and the expertise of our organisations, we have produced three impactful resources to help drive positive change:
- UUK’s guidance for universities and colleges to inform their approach to contextual admissions supporting a more transparent and consistent approach across the sector in England,
- The Sutton Trust’s research report on contextual admissions brings together the latest evidence on the efficacy of contextual admissions in widening access and supporting student success,
- Updated UCAS guidance for applicants, to support applicants and those advising them to better understand and navigate the admissions system.
Success story: From barriers to belonging
Being a recipient for an access to Leeds contextual offer was vital in breaking down barriers for me, and I think it is important that future students continue to enjoy the great benefit that this offers.
George faced significant challenges in early education due to the limited support he received as an autistic pupil. A contextual offer and a Widening Participation Scholarship enabled him to study Criminal Justice and Criminology at the University of Leeds. With this support, he overcame financial and personal barriers and has built a career in the Probation Service where he helps others make positive change.
Read George's story
George, Alumni of Leeds University
For George, coming to the University of Leeds represented far more than the opportunity to gain a degree. It was a chance to reset his ambitions, build confidence and prove that his background would not define his future.
George joined Leeds in 2021 to study Criminal Justice and Criminology, supported through the University's contextual admissions approach and a Widening Participation Scholarship. These interventions recognised his academic potential, the barriers he had overcome, and his capacity to thrive at a research-intensive university.
George grew up in the coastal town of Redcar and was diagnosed with autism as a child. He attended a local special educational needs school and recalls his early years as “a game of two halves”: the first years spent struggling to understand the world around him, and the years that followed fighting against it.
School was often difficult. George found it challenging to regulate his emotions, make friends and feel a sense of belonging. At one stage, his school considered referring him to a pupil referral unit because staff felt unable to manage his behaviour. His parents even contemplated educating him at home.
Everything changed when a new teacher, Martin, joined the school. Unlike many others before him, Martin saw potential rather than problems. He encouraged George to believe that he could succeed academically and challenged assumptions about what he might achieve. George describes this as the moment that “planted the seed of aspiration”, empowering him to change his outlook and behaviour.
Supported by his family and teachers, George enrolled at a local college to study a Level 2 BTEC in Health and Social Care alongside GCSEs in English and Mathematics. He flourished, progressing to a larger sixth-form college despite entering with only three GCSEs and a BTEC qualification. Sixth form proved transformative. He found it easier to make friends, became actively involved in college life, was nominated to serve as Student President, and eventually achieved two A grades and a B at A-level.
University was always an aspiration, but it was accompanied by uncertainty. George's father worked as a bus driver and his mother was unable to work because of disability. Although his family were unwavering in their emotional support, the financial implications of attending university weighed heavily on him.
The University of Leeds' contextual admissions approach recognised both George's potential and the educational and personal challenges he had faced. Receiving a Widening Participation Scholarship proved equally transformative.
“I was worried about how I would settle in at Leeds and how I would support myself,” George explains. “The scholarship enabled me to cope financially and took away these concerns. It allowed me to focus on making a positive start to my student life and my academia.”
The financial support reduced immediate pressures and allowed George to immerse himself fully in university life. He was able to focus on his studies, build confidence and take advantage of opportunities beyond the classroom, including volunteering in a local prison. These experiences deepened his interest in rehabilitation, social justice and the ways in which education and support can help people rebuild their lives.
That sense of being recognised and invested in helped George approach university with greater confidence and ambition. It reinforced his belief that he belonged at Leeds and could make the most of the opportunities available to him. The scholarship did not simply ease financial pressures; it enabled him to focus on his studies, engage fully in university life and begin to shape a future that once felt beyond reach.
Studying Criminal Justice and Criminology enabled George to develop a deeper understanding of crime, punishment, inequality and rehabilitation, while challenging assumptions and strengthening his determination to make a positive contribution to society. Supported by staff who believed in his potential and by a university community in which he felt he belonged, he graduated with the knowledge, confidence and sense of purpose to pursue a meaningful career.
Today, George works within the Probation Service in rehabilitation, supporting individuals to make positive changes, rebuild their lives and reduce the likelihood of reoffending. In many ways, the work brings his own journey full circle.
“In my younger years I fought because I was angry and confused,” he says. “Now I fight to give hope and inspiration, like my teacher did, to allow others their fundamental right to education.”
George's story demonstrates the powerful impact that contextual admissions and targeted student support can have. By recognising talent beyond traditional measures of attainment, and by providing financial, academic and pastoral support alongside opportunity, the University of Leeds enables talented students to overcome barriers, flourish during their studies and graduate ready to make a meaningful difference in the world.
As George puts it: “Your past does not have to dictate where you end up. Every limitation that is placed in front of you is just another opportunity to develop the resilience required to succeed.”
For George, a teacher's belief sparked aspiration. The University of Leeds helped turn that aspiration into achievement, a profession, and a commitment to helping others realise their own potential. In doing so, it has enabled one student not only to transform his own future, but also to support others in building brighter futures of their own.
Success story: Foundations for the future
When the stable foundations are in place, everything else becomes possible. I remember arriving at Northumbria and realising, for the first time, that I didn’t have to solve the basics before I could start learning.
Sebastian grew up in care and experienced significant disruption throughout his education. A contextual offer and tailored support for care-experienced students enabled him to study International Relations and Politics at Northumbria University. Since graduating, he has pursued a career in government, where he champions digital transformation, care leavers and other underrepresented groups.
Read Sebastian's story
Sebastian, Alumni of Northumbria University
Sebastian Moore grew up in the care system in County Durham, attending fifteen schools across as many years. By the age of sixteen he was living independently. That level of instability is not unusual for care-experienced young people. What was different when he arrived at Northumbria University was the infrastructure: a Care Leavers’ Bursary, a guaranteed 52-week tenancy, and a dedicated care leaver contact. A named person who understands the specific pressures care leavers carry into higher education. They work directly with the Personal Advisers care experienced young people are given to support complex moves and transitions into adulthood.
Sebastian applied to Northumbria as a mature student through Clearing after changing his mind about his career trajectory and declining offers to study Radiography in London. Having completed an Access to Higher Education course in Health Science, he received a contextual offer from Northumbria and went on to study International Relations and Politics. He graduated in 2022.
While at Northumbria, Sebastian volunteered with regional Youth Justice Services, supporting outcomes for looked-after children. Two days after graduating, he began working for the government through the Civil Service Care Leaver Internship Scheme, joining Darlington Economic Campus (DEC), the North East headquarters for several major government departments. He now works within the Government Digital and Data Profession at HM Treasury. His rapid rise through government ranks has seen him become a champion for digital transformation and diversity in the civil service, while advocating for care leavers and underrepresented groups.
Since graduating, Sebastian has been named on the AI 100 UK List (2025), the Government Global AI 100 List (2025), and the Digital Leader Top 100 UK List (2024). He was also a finalist for BusinessIQ North East’s Diversity & Inclusion Award in 2025, and a finalist in the North East Tech Awards’ Rising Star category in 2025.
What's next?
We hope these new resources will support universities and colleges to make better use of contextual admissions. This includes adapting their approaches from the 2027 admissions cycle and contributing to a growing evidence base of best practice. In turn, we hope that applicants will be better able to navigate an increasingly clear and consistent admissions landscape, supported to make ambitious higher education choices.
But our work doesn’t stop here. Exciting initiatives are already underway that will help to further build an understanding of what works well in contextual admissions, and drive implementation across universities and colleges in England. In time, we look forward to reconvening to evaluate progress across the sector.