Eligibility criteria

This page is about the eligibility criteria for Headstart Huddersfield.

 

To be eligible you must:

• Be living permanently in the UK and eligible to pay ‘Home’ fees.
• Be taking or already hold Level 3 qualifications or equivalent to enable progression to higher education.
• Be considering applying to a full-time undergraduate degree programme at the University of Huddersfield.
• Not already hold a Higher Education Qualification.
• Not be studying an Access to HE or foundation qualification.
• Not be studying or have passed the Progression Module.
• For under 21 students only - Have entered or be entering Year 13/year 2 of a Level 3 programme in September of this year.
• Register for Headstart before submitting a UCAS application.
• Record Headstart on your UCAS application in order for the 8 points to be recognised.

You must also meet at least ONE of the following criteria:

• You are a mature student over the age of 21, returning to full time study.
• You are the first generation in your immediate family to apply to go to university.
  • You are eligible if your parents have not previously completed a higher education course. This does not include HE courses undertaken whilst you were in secondary education or any work-based, Open University or part time HE study that your parents undertook.
• You are from a Black, Asian or minority ethnic background.
• You have a disability, learning difficulty (SEND), long-standing medical condition or mental health issue.
• You are in receipt of 16-19 Bursary Fund or Discretionary Learner Support. 
• You have ever been eligible to receive free school meals in the last 6 school years.
  • If you were entitled to free school meals, whether you claimed them or not, you are eligible under this criteria.
• You attend or have attended a school which achieved below the national average Attainment 8 score at GCSE.
  • The England average Attainment 8 score for 2022-23 is 46.3. To find out if you qualify under this criteria check your school’s Attainment 8 score here: https://www.compare-school-performance.service.gov.uk/
• You live in a geographical area with low progression to higher education.
  • Check your eligibility using the online postcode checker. Only POLAR 4 young participation quintile 1-2 are eligible.
• You are a commuter student who is planning to live at home and travel to study at the University of Huddersfield.
• You are a young person with care experience.
• You are estranged from your parents. 
  • You are estranged from your parents if you have not had verbal or written contact with both of your biological, adoptive parents or your only living parent for a significant period of time and your estrangement is irreconcilable. Further details are available here: http://standalone.org.uk/guides/student-guide/#independent-status
• You are a young person with caring responsibilities. 
  • A young person with caring responsibilities has sole or shared responsibility, unpaid, to care for a friend or family member (including siblings) who has an illness, disability, mental health illness or addiction who couldn’t manage without their support.
• You are an LGBTQ+ student.
  • LGBTQ+ student is someone who is lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning or other.
• You have been educated in alternative provision at any stage in the last six years (including a PRU or home school).
• You entered the UK as an asylum seeker and have been granted asylum.
• You are from a military service family, or you are a military veteran or service leaver.
• You are from a Gypsy, Traveller, Roma, Showman or Boater (GTRSB) community.
• Your studies have been disrupted by circumstances in your personal life.
  • The adverse circumstances must be unforeseeable or unpreventable as far as the learner is concerned, and sufficiently disruptive to have a significant adverse effect on academic performance.