Contextual Offer Aston Ready

Our contextual offer scheme

2025 Aston Contextual Offer

Our contextual offer scheme could reduce your undergraduate offer by one or two grades. Assessed at the point of application, there are no additional forms to fill in.

The criteria you have to meet

To receive a contextual offer, you must have attended a state school and be assessed as a Home student for fee purposes. You will also need to meet one of the following criteria:

  • You have been eligible for free school meals by the end of key stage 4, within the last 6 years. This data will be provided to Aston University by UCAS' Modernised Contextual Data Service (MCDS).

OR

  • Live in a low participation neighbourhood (POLAR 4, quintile 1 or POLAR 4, quintile 2). You can check if your home address is eligible and by looking for 'Quintile One’ or 'Quintile 2' next to POLAR 4 (2025 entry only.)

OR

  • Declared a disability. We will use the information provided on your UCAS form to determine this.

OR

  • Complete an Aston Pathways programme. If you have completed one of our Pathways programmes during Year 12 and 13, you will need to email the Pathway Team with your UCAS number at the point that you submit your UCAS application form to ensure that you made an Aston Ready offer. For information on our Pathway Programmes (Healthcare, STEM, Business and Law) please visit pathways

OR

  • Have spent time in local authority care. To qualify for a contextual offer applicants will need to declare that they are a care leaver on their UCAS form. We would normally also expect the applicant’s referee to confirm that the applicant is a care leaver.

OR

  • Have been granted Refugee status from the Home Office.

If you are accepted onto the scheme, you will receive a lower Aston Ready contextual offer. Typically, the Aston Ready contextual offer will be one or two grades lower than the standard offer. For example, ABB will become BBB.

Please note that the Business and Social Sciences Foundation Year is not eligible for Aston Ready.

MBChB Medicine

All home fee applicants, except those who are in the final year of their undergraduate degree or have already graduated with a degree or attended an independent school, will be reviewed against our widening participation criteria below to establish whether they fulfil one of more of the criteria. State grammar school applicants would be eligible for consideration under the Scheme.

  • You have been eligible for the UCAT bursary. This data will be provided to Aston University by the UCAT Consortium.

OR

  • You have been eligible for free school meals by the end of key stage 4, within the last 6 years. This data will be provided to Aston University by UCAS' Modernised Contextual Data Service (MCDS).

OR

  • Declared a disability. We will use the information provided on your UCAS form to determine this.

OR

  • Complete an Aston Pathways programme. If you have completed one of our Pathways programmes during Year 12 and 13, you will need to email the Pathway Team with your UCAS number at the point that you submit your UCAS application form to ensure that you made an Aston Ready offer.

    For information on our Pathway Programmes (Healthcare, STEM, Business and Law) please visit pathways

OR

  • Have spent time in local authority care. To qualify for a contextual offer applicants will need to declare that they are a care leaver on their UCAS form. We would normally also expect the applicant’s referee to confirm that the applicant is a care leaver.

OR

  • Have been granted Refugee status from the Home Office.

OR

  • Live in a low participation neighbourhood (POLAR 4, quintile 1 or POLAR 4, quintile 2). You can check if your home address is eligible and by looking for 'Quintile One’ or 'Quintile 2' next to POLAR 4 (2025 entry only.)

What else you get

If you receive a contextual offer from Aston University there are a number of support mechanisms available to you. These will include study skills sessions, academic writing sessions and support with personal statements via your school or college if they are eligible.

If you have any questions about the scheme, give us a call 0121 204 3030, email undergraduate admissions.