Going to university: our guarantee for care-experienced applicants
Guaranteed offers for care-experienced applicants
In July 2019, Scotland’s 18 universities and higher education institutions agreed to guarantee offers to care-experienced applicants who meet minimum entry requirements. This means that if you are care-experienced and you apply to study for a first degree at a university or other higher education institution in Scotland, you are guaranteed an offer of a place, providing you meet the minimum entry requirements set by the institution for the course you are applying to.
Wherever possible, the institution will guarantee you a place on the specific degree programme you have applied to, if you meet the programme’s minimum entry requirements. Very occasionally, this may not be possible if, for example, you have applied to a course with lots of applicants eligible for a guaranteed offer and not many places, or because the course is not running. If the institution cannot offer you a place on the specific course you have applied to, they will work with you to identify whether there is an alternative course that is of interest and suitable to you.
What exactly is the offer?
Wherever possible, the institution will guarantee you a place on the specific degree programme you have applied to, if you meet the programme’s minimum entry requirements. Very occasionally, this may not be possible if, for example, you have applied to a course with lots of applicants eligible for a guaranteed offer and not many places, or because the course is not running. If the institution cannot offer you a place on the specific course you have applied to, they will work with you to identify whether there is an alternative course that is of interest and suitable to you.
In some courses, the decision to offer an applicant a place is based mainly on their performance in an interview or audition, or on a successful portfolio assessment, and these additional steps in the application process cannot be skipped. So, if you are care-experienced and you are applying to a degree programme where entry is determined primarily by interview, audition, portfolio assessment or similar, assuming you meet any minimum entry requirements stated previously, the institution will guarantee to progress you to that part of the application process.
Key Points:
- If you are a care-experienced applicant and you meet the minimum entry requirements for the course you have applied to, you will be guaranteed an offer of a place.
- The guarantee applies to all entry routes and all qualifications recognised by the institution you have applied to.
- All institutions state on their websites and in other materials such as prospectuses what their minimum entry requirements are for each course.
- Minimum entry requirements reflect the level of knowledge, skill and/or experience an applicant needs to be able successfully to complete their course of studies.