Widening Participation

If you want to study at university then we’ll do our absolute best to help you succeed regardless of your circumstances.

The University of Stirling is committed to enabling students from all backgrounds to achieve their full potential. We believe that everyone has the potential to succeed and actively encourage applications from non-traditional groups. See the University of Stirling Widening Access Strategy.

The Widening Participation staff support a wide range of different students who can be considered as coming from a widening participation background. We work with students, and their parents, guardians and advisers, to help find the right route into university for them. There are a number of different options available depending on your background and what you want to study.

The University is committed to ensuring fairness to those applying to study at Stirling in line with Universities Scotland guarantee of fairness when applying to a University in Scotland. Find out more on the Universities Scotland website.

Are you a widening access student?

We select students based on both ability and potential. We don’t just look at grades – we look at all the information provided across the application form to assess the potential of each student. There a number of types of students who we would consider to be a widening access student. These include:

You are from a priority postcode area (check your postcode below)
You are involved in the – Aspire North, Focus West, LEAPS and Lift Off
You are a care experienced student
You are a young or adult carer
You are a student on the University of Stirling Access to Degree Studies Programme
You are a student on a SWAP access course (Scottish Wider Access Programme)

If you're not sure if your school is a member of the Schools for Higher Education Programme, then get in touch and we'll let you know. Email us at realiseyourpotential@stir.ac.uk.