POLAR
The participation of local areas (POLAR) classification groups areas across the UK based on the proportion of the young population that participate in higher education (HE). It looks at how likely young people are to participate in HE across the UK and shows how this varies by area.
POLAR classifies local areas into five quintiles based on the proportion of 18-year-olds who enter HE aged 18 or 19. Quintile 1 is the fifth of areas with the lowest proportion of progression to HE. We are using the latest version of this data, Polar 4, which we receive directly from UCAS.
You will be flagged as a widening participation priority if the home postcode listed on your UCAS application when you apply falls into quintile 1 or 2. If your postcode falls into quintile 3, you will only be flagged as a widening participation priority if your postcode also falls into IMD quintile 3 (see below).
Look up which POLAR 4 quintile your home postcode falls into
IMD
Index of multiple deprivation (IMD) is a measure of relative deprivation for small, fixed geographic areas of the UK. IMD classifies these areas into five quintiles based on relative disadvantage, with quintile 1 being the most deprived and quintile 5 being the least deprived.
IMD data is freely available from relevant government resources (aside from post-codes in Northern Ireland, for which data is unfortunately not freely available), and we are using IMD data from 2019. When we receive your UCAS application, the home postcode you provide will be paired with IMD data so that we can determine which quintile you fall into.
You will be flagged as a widening participation priority if the home postcode listed on your UCAS application when you apply falls into IMD quintile 1 or 2. If your postcode falls into quintile 3, you will only be flagged as a widening participation priority if your postcode also falls into Polar 4, quintile 3 (see above).
Look-up which IMD quintile your home postcode falls into (England only).
Time in care status
When you complete your UCAS application there is a section for you to declare if you have spent time in Local Authority care, either with foster carers or in a children’s home (or in Scotland under a home supervision order).
We would strongly recommend doing this if it applies to you, regardless of when or how long you were in care for. This means that you will receive relevant information about support from all the universities that you apply to.
You will be flagged as a widening participation priority if you declare something in this section of your UCAS application.
For 2023 entry, the University has pledged to make guaranteed offers to Care Leavers who meet our criteria and terms and conditions. Please visit our Care Leavers webpage for more information.
Young carers or estranged students
If you have caring responsibilities or are estranged from your family, then we don’t receive this information directly from UCAS so we will not find out unless we hear from you. When you apply to Bath and if you are a young carer or estranged student, please send a short paragraph of no more than 200 words to give us an overview of your circumstances, to careleavers@bath.ac.uk
If applicable, you will then be flagged as a widening participation priority.
Refugee, Asylum Seeker, Humanitarian Protection status
When you complete your UCAS application there is a section for you to declare your fee status.
You will be flagged as a widening participation priority if you have declared on your UCAS form that you are a refugee, asylum seeker or someone who has been granted humanitarian protection. If this applies to you and you're successful in receiving an offer from us, you will receive a copy of our Fee Status Questionnaire so that we can formally assess and confirm your fee status.
School performance at Level 2
We look at data attached to the school that you have listed as attending when you sat your GCSEs (or equivalent qualifications) to see if it is below the national average. We look at the data for the latest year of examinations that is available, which is the 2019 examinations for the 2022 UCAS cycle.
If you have attended numerous schools, we will look at data for all those you may have attended up until taking your GCSE or equivalent qualifications. Some school performance data is provided by UCAS, but other data is collected directly from the relevant national government department.
Your application will not be flagged using this data, however, it may help to further contextualise your academic performance.
School performance at Level 3
We look at data attached to the school or college that you have listed as attending when you sit your A levels (or equivalent qualifications) to see if it is below the national average. We look at the data for the latest year of examinations that is available, which is the 2019 examinations for the 2022 UCAS cycle.
If you have attended numerous schools/colleges, we will look at data for all those you may have attended while taking your A level or equivalent qualifications. Some school performance data is provided by UCAS, but other data is collected directly from the relevant national government department.
Your application will not be flagged using this data, however, it may help to further contextualise your academic performance.
Disability status
When you complete your UCAS application there is a section for you to declare if you have a disability, additional learning need or long-term/mental health condition.
We would strongly recommend doing this if it applies to you, as it will make sure that you receive relevant information about support from the universities that you apply to.
Your application will not be flagged using this data, however, it may help to further contextualise your academic performance and make sure we are showing your application sufficient flexibility.