Contextual admissions

We consider applications holistically which means we will take a range of information into consideration and look beyond predicted or achieved grades.

What is contextual admissions? 

Contextual admissions mean we will take a range of information available to us into consideration when considering an application for one of our undergraduate degrees. This may be information from one of the contextual admissions questions on the UCAS application or additional information supplied to us by an applicant or referee.  

Any application flagged up to us in this way will receive extra consideration beyond our usual admissions checks. This doesn’t guarantee an offer of a place but it does mean we will consider all aspects of your educational journey when making a decision as we recognise the barriers which might prevent a student reaching their full academic potential.

Examples of this would be an application from a refugee who has had disruption to their education or a mature applicant who might not have all the required formal qualifications but can demonstrate relevant work experience. 

If you have been flagged for contextual admissions, we will also take this information into consideration when we receive your results if you haven’t achieved the grades we have asked for.

What is a contextual offer? 

A contextual offer is where we will make an applicant an offer that is lower than our published grades. All our requirements can be found on the Goldsmiths website on individual programme pages and also on the UCAS website. 

We offer a contextual offer of two grades lower than our published requirements to all those who meet our criteria for care experienced or estranged applicants. The actual offer will be determined by the type of qualification being taken and the grading scheme but a typical A Level offer is BBB and this would be reduced to BCC.  As a guide, for other qualifications we would be looking for UCAS points of over 104 and exact offers will depend on the qualification.

If you answer yes to either the care experienced or estranged questions on your UCAS application, we will automatically consider you for a reduced grade offer. 

Contact us

If you believe you meet the requirements for a contextual offer but have not listed this on your UCAS application, please contact the Admissions Team and we will take this into consideration when reviewing your application.

Explore further information on the support available to care-leavers and estranged students at Goldsmiths including contact information.