Policy
Contextual admissions policy
An explanation of the factors the University will consider when applying a contextual flag to an application
Updated on 12 January 2026
Putting everything in context gives the University the broadest and clearest picture about you as an individual
Why context matters
You can be confident that the University treats every application on its individual merits and if you become a student at the University, it will be fully deserved.
Achieving a strong set of school or college grades is key to earning a place at the University. That can be challenging, and we know grades are influenced by things outside of your control, that’s why every year we look at each application in detail including any circumstances outside of your control that may have impacted your potential.
Advice and support are always available to all future students, but we need to know about you and your individual story to fully help you. The University takes a range of factors into account when it looks at your grades and these may lead to a widening access offer.
Crucially, the University will never use anything you disclose in a negative way, so as you complete your UCAS application, please do so as fully as possible and encourage your referee to tell us about your individual circumstances and how this may have impacted your grades.
For the avoidance of doubt, our contextual admissions policy is intended to recognise factors that may have disrupted or affected an applicant’s education (i.e., circumstances outside of their control that may have had a disproportionate detrimental impact on their academic results). We will always look at an application in its entirety.
All admissions are subject to the University’s processes and procedures and applicable law and regulation
What information is taken into account?
Your eligibility for contextual support is assessed at the time of the application and will not be re-evaluated post matriculation.
How to notify us of your circumstances
You can ask your referee to describe your circumstances, and the impact it may have had on your education, in the reference they are writing for you.
You can upload evidence of your circumstances to the applicant portal. You can view examples of accepted evidence and guidance on how to upload documents via the applicant portal. You will also receive further guidance on how to upload once you submit your application.
You can also indicate, via your UCAS application form, that certain circumstances (e.g. that you are a carer or receive free school meals) apply to you but this alone is not sufficient for the University to apply the contextual policy to your application and you must still upload supporting evidence or ask your referee to include your circumstances in your reference.
How the University processes contextual admissions
Timescales
If you are applying for an October deadline course, such as Medicine or Dentistry, evidence of your circumstances must be provided no later than one week after the UCAS Equal Consideration Date (of 15 October).
If you are applying for a January deadline course, evidence of your circumstances must be provided no later than two weeks after the UCAS Equal Consideration Date (of 14 January).
If you apply after the January deadline, evidence of your circumstances must be provided no later than two weeks after submitting your application.
How we consider contextual applications
If you have any of the contextual factors detailed below and can appropriately evidence as required, we will assess your application against widening access entry requirements and in line with current contextual admissions policy.
This means that Home Scottish or Rest of the UK fee status applicants will be made a widening access level offer OR, for interviewing subjects, normally be interviewed. To be selected for offer or interview you must be on course to meet our widening access entry requirements, including in any essential subjects, details of which can be found on each course page.
Eligible Home Scottish applicants receiving an offer will also be offered a place on one of our pre-entry Access Summer Schools. Access Summer School allows students to prepare for university study and can also offer an alternative way of qualifying for entry. We strongly advise such applicants to take up this special Dundee opportunity.
Unfortunately, we are unable to offer a place on our Access Summer school to applicants who are applying for: BSc (Hons) Nursing, Medicine, Gateway to Medicine, Oral Health Sciences, Graduate Apprenticeships or Articulation courses with Dundee and Angus College. Additionally Summer School is unavailable to applicants who are applying as Graduates to any of our courses.
What are the contextual factors the University considers?
As part of its admissions process the University will take the following contextual factors into consideration when assessing an application. The list below is not exhaustive and the University may take into account other factors based on your circumstances, at its sole discretion, which is inline with this policy.
Postcode (within SIMD Quintile 1)
If your home postcode, at the time you apply, is in a Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD) quintile 1 zone.
Free School Meals
If you are or have been receiving free school meals.
Carer
If you are or have been someone who cares, unpaid, for a friend or family member who due to illness, disability, a mental health problem or an addiction cannot cope without your support.
Care Experienced
If you are or have been a looked after person (Care experienced), including but not limited to; adopted children who were previously looked-after. This care may have been provided in one of many different settings, such as in residential care, foster care, kinship care or through being looked-after at home with a supervision requirement.
Estranged
If you are or have been estranged from your parents (normally not in contact with them for at least 12 months as a result of a permanent breakdown in your relationship, with no sign of this being resolved).
Refugee or Asylum Seeker
If you are a refugee, an asylum seeker or have been granted humanitarian protection and are resident in the UK.
Any other contextual circumstances
Our contextual admissions policy is intended to recognise factors that may have disrupted or affected your education. If there are other contextual factors outside of your control, which fall outside of the specific circumstances detailed above but which are deemed to have an impact on your education, the University will also take these into account in respect of your application. This consideration process will be on a case-by-case basis and will be decided primarily on the impact of the circumstances on your education. In this context the university may decide to assess your application against widening access entry requirements and in line with current contextual admissions policy.
Examples of ‘other’ contextual circumstances which may have an impact can include but are not limited to; residing in an SIMD40 postcode area, have declared a disability or participated in a widening access programme such as Reach, ACES or SWAP.
If you would like to discuss whether your circumstances would be considered within our contextual admissions policy, please contact us.