Applications have now closed.

The Access to Bristol scheme is for local students taking A-levels, BTECs, Access to HE courses or equivalents. Taking part shows a commitment to further study that will strengthen your application when you apply to university. On completion, you will be guaranteed a contextual offer/interview from Bristol, a top ten UK university (QS World University Rankings 2023).

You will get an idea of what it is like to study at the University of Bristol, working with academics and current students who can offer advice and guidance about higher education and their subject area.

Download your copy of the 2022-23 Access to Bristol brochure (PDF, 1,713kB) to find out more about our subject streams.

Eligibility

To apply for Access to Bristol you must:

• be in your first or second year of A-level study (or equivalent);
• be resident in a BA, BS or other local postcode within an hour’s journey of the University of Bristol (this includes South Wales);
• attend a local state school or college. 

The scheme is very popular and there is high demand for places. If a subject stream is oversubscribed, we will give priority to those who meet all or most of the following criteria:

• have the academic ability to study at the University of Bristol (meeting the GCSE entry requirements for their chosen subject stream and studying any required Level 3 subjects);
• are part of the first generation in their family to go to university;
• live in an area of low participation in higher education as defined by POLAR4, which is a score of 1 or 2 for the category 'POLAR4 young participation quintile';
• are a BAME (Black, Asian, & Minority Ethnic) student;
• attend an aspiring state school or college;
• are or have been eligible for free school meals;
• have spent three or more months in local authority care;
• are currently an estranged student;
• be considered a mature student (over 21 years old when you will begin your degree).

If you are interested in Medicine, Dentistry or Veterinary Science, find out more about our Pathways to Health Sciences scheme.

We recommend that you discuss your application to the programme with your head of sixth form/college. You will need permission from your school or college to attend the sessions and we ask for a contact at your school on your application form.

Benefits of Access to Bristol

Access to Bristol bursary

If you successfully complete the Access to Bristol scheme and choose Bristol as your Firm choice in UCAS you may be eligible for the Access to Bristol bursary, which currently consists of a maintenance bursary of £3,855 for each year of your course.

To be considered for the bursary you need to be Firm with Bristol, a Home UK student and have a household income of £25,000 or below. No bursary is paid in any year where you are entitled to NHS funding as part of your course.

Guaranteed offer at contextual level

If you successfully complete the Access to Bristol scheme, you may be eligible for a contextual offer to study at Bristol.

Term dates and times

Sessions will take place on campus every Wednesday from 2 pm to 4 pm on the dates shown below.

Subjects

You can view a brief overview of the subjects we offer and the term(s) they run below. For more information on our subject stream content and Access to Bristol more broadly, please download our Access to Bristol brochure.‌