Making offers for courses starting in academic year 2023/4

The Admissions team will make decisions based on a range of information provided in your application form, including qualifications, personal statement, reference and other contextual data. Please check our course entry requirements on UCAS (Institution code B25) or the BCU website. This information will also show whether a selection process, such as an interview, audition or portfolio review, is required.

BCU Offer Types

Contextual Offers

To support students from all backgrounds and increase participation from under-represented groups in Higher Education, we make contextual offers to students applying to our full-time undergraduate degrees as a UK fee-payer. Applicants must hold 5 GCSEs at grade 4/C or above, including English Language/Literature and Mathematics, and apply through UCAS by 30 June, in addition to meeting any of the following criteria:

1. You have a home address postcode that falls under POLAR4 quintile 1 or 2, which will be automatically identified by UCAS direct to the University at the point you submit your application (you can check your quintile using the Office for Students’ postcode look up)
2. You have been in care and are under 25 years old
3. You have/had carer responsibilities
4. You have disclosed a disability

Contextualised Conditional Offer

If predicted to meet or exceed the entry tariff requirements, you may receive an offer with a reduced tariff of up to two grades (or 16 UCAS tariff points) from the following qualifications:

• A Levels
• T Levels
• BTEC Extended Diploma (or other equivalent BTEC)
• Scottish Highers or Advanced Highers
• Irish Leaving Certificate
• Welsh Baccalaureate
• International Baccalaureate
• Cache Diploma
• OCR Cambridge Technical qualifications

Other specific requirements:

• English courses require an A-level (or equivalent) in English at grade C or above, but we will also consider other humanities subjects (please see course entry criteria)
• Engineering courses require an A-level (or equivalent) in Mathematics, Physics or Chemistry at grade C or above
• Courses requiring a satisfactory portfolio or interview must have these requirements met also

Course Exclusions from Contextual Offers

The following courses are excluded from contextualised offers as they have professional, regulatory or statutory body, or other course-specific requirements:

• BA (Hons) Primary Education with QTS; BA (Hons) Secondary PE with QTS; BSc (Hons) Social Work; BSc (Hons) Secondary Computing with QTS; BSc (Hons) Secondary Science Biology with QTS; BA (Hons) Conductive Education
• BSc (Hons) courses in Diagnostic Radiography; Midwifery; Nursing (Adult, Child, Learning Disability or Mental Health); Operating Department Practice; Paramedic Science; Therapeutic Radiography; Speech and Language Therapy; BSc (Hons) Sports Therapy
• Royal Birmingham Conservatoire courses, except Applied Theatre and Stage Management
• Sub-degree courses such as Foundation Year entry, Foundation Degrees and HND
• Fast-track/accelerated degrees
• Apprenticeships
• Postgraduate taught courses
• Postgraduate research courses
• Part-time courses
• Professional Practice/CPD courses
• Short credit or non-credit bearing courses
• Distance learning/online courses

Standard Offers

Conditional Offers

If you fall outside the contextual criteria but are predicted to meet or exceed the published entry requirements for a course, you will receive a standard conditional offer. We will require evidence of your exam results to allow you to enrol on a course and commence studying at BCU. Most results will come to us directly from UCAS; however where that is not the case, you will need to upload these onto your BCU portal.  Checking your BCU portal and any outstanding actions regularly will be important to confirming your place and enrolling at BCU.

Alternative Offers

If you are not predicted to meet the published entry requirements for your chosen course, you may still receive an offer. We operate an alternative course model, depending on a number of factors (including predicted grades), so while we may offer you a place on the course for which you have applied, it could be that we feel an alternative course is more appropriate. This could include a Foundation Year in the course for which you have applied for a degree, a Foundation Degree or HND, based on your predicted grades Alternative courses offered may include courses based at one of our franchise partners.

Unconditional Offers

If you already hold your qualifications and these meet our minimum entry requirements, you will receive an unconditional offer. If you accept this offer, you will be required to provide evidence of the qualifications stated in your application which will need to be uploaded onto your BCU portal.

Courses requiring a portfolio

Several courses in Arts, Design and Media also require a portfolio as part of the application process. Any offer you receive will be conditional on you providing a portfolio of work, in addition to meeting the published entry requirements:

• BA (Hons) Architecture
• BA (Hons) Art and Design
• BA (Hons) Art and Design with Creative Technologies
• BA (Hons) Digital Animation
• BA (Hons) Fashion Design
• BA (Hons) Fine Art
• BA (Hons) Graphic Design
• BA (Hons) Illustration
• BA (Hons) Interior Architecture and Design
• BA (Hons) Jewellery and Objects
• BA (Hons) Jewellery and Silversmithing – Design for Industry (top-up)
• BA (Hons) Landscape Architecture
• BA (Hons) Landscape Architecture with Urban Design
• BA (Hons) Photography
• BA (Hons) Product and Furniture Design
• BA (Hons) Textile Design
• BA (Hons) Video Game Digital Art
• HND Jewellery and Silversmithing

Please see our portfolio guidance for further information.

UCAS Guidance

Further advice and guidance is available from UCAS.