Accelerate eligibility criteria
There are two routes into our Accelerate scheme.
1. Attending a school or college that already works with BCU or taking part in our widening participation activities.
Eligible schools: Aldridge School, Fairfax School, Fortis Academy, Grace Academy, Hamstead Hall Academy, Ormiston Sandwell Community Academy, Plantsbrook School, Shirelands College, Smith’s Wood Academy, Streetly School, St Francis of Assisi School, Stockland Green School.
2. If you are from a lower income household. You will be considered for this route if you:
-
Have a home address postcode that falls under POLAR4 quintile 1
OR -
Have a home address postcode that falls under POLAR4 quintile 2 and meet one of the following criteria
- First in family to go to university
- Have disclosed a disability
- Have/had caring responsibilities
- Are estranged from your parents
- Have refugee/asylum status
- Are or have been in the armed forces, or have/had a parent/carer in the armed forces
- Have parenting responsibilities (and you are 25 at the point of application)
- Been in care (and you are under 25 at the point of application)
- Been in receipt of free school meals (and you are under 25 at the point of application)
You can check your quintile using the Office for Students’ postcode look up.
You will also need to:
- Apply to Birmingham City University by the January deadline
- Be awaiting results in the 2023/24 academic year (for qualifications you are taking for the first time)
- Meet any course-specific entry requirements, e.g., passing an interview, submitting a portfolio, or achieving qualifications in a specific subject
Please note: Access to HE students are not eligible for a reduced offer but will be considered for the scholarship element of the scheme if they meet the other eligibility criteria.
Courses excluded from the Accelerate scheme
The Accelerate scheme is for students applying to undergraduate courses (BA, BSc, LLB, MSci), except the following:
- BA Acting, BMus Music and BMus Jazz at Royal Birmingham Conservatoire**
- Sub-degree courses such as Foundation Year entry, Foundation Degrees and HNC/HND
- Courses delivered by BCU partners
- Fast-track/accelerated degrees
- Part-time courses
- Professional Practice/CPD courses
- Short courses (credit-bearing and non-credit-bearing)
- Apprenticeships
- Distance learning/online courses
** BA Acting, BMus Music and BMus Jazz students are not eligible for a reduced offer but will be considered for the scholarship element of the scheme if they meet the other eligibility criteria.
Which academic year is Accelerate available for?
Accelerate is available for those starting in the 2024/25 academic year – joining courses in September 2024 or January 2025.
It will not be possible to defer your Accelerate offer.
Scholarship terms and conditions
To be eligible for the £1,000 scholarship in addition to the Accelerate offer, you will need to:
- Accept your offer of a place to study at BCU, as a firm or insurance choice. If you decline your offer and reapply later in the academic year, you will no longer be eligible for the scholarship.
- Be given a confirmed place on an eligible course at BCU on receipt of your level 3 qualifications (A Level / BTEC or equivalent). Excluded courses are shown above.
- Complete our online Accelerate module by Sunday 8 September.
- Enrol at BCU and pass all required modules in the first year of your course.
- If you have an Access to HE qualification, or have applied to BA Acting, BMus Music or BMus Jazz, you will not have received an Accelerate offer, but you will be considered for the scholarship if you meet the other eligibility criteria.
- Provide your payment information to Finance by Friday 13 December 2024 (for courses starting in September 2024) or Friday 2 May 2025 (for courses starting in January 2025). After this date it will no longer be possible to claim the scholarship.