Putting Undergraduate Admissions into Context: A Case Study

In 2007/08 the School of Pharmacy at the University of Manchester participated in a pilot study run by central admissions looking at the use of contextual data to widen access to higher education. In that study, 27% of home applicants were flagged as contextual students, of which the contextual flag was used on 20 to invite them for interview. The end result was four students registering on the 4-year Pharmacy (MPharm.) degree programme that would not otherwise have been given the opportunity. Three of these students have now completed the four year course and have graduated with upper second class degrees whilst the fourth student withdrew after second year due to personal circumstances. Data from this pilot study has since been used to help launch our Foundation Year programme which openly targets students from educationally disadvantaged backgrounds. Key terms: admissions, contextual, widening access, foundation year.