A range of alternative offer schemes have been launched at Keele University to remove barriers and promote access to higher education.

The alternative offers aim to give prospective students more choice and options when applying to study at Keele

One such offer is the Keele Region Applicants scheme, which applies to prospective students studying in the areas surrounding Keele, including Staffordshire, Cheshire, Shropshire, Derbyshire, and Wrexham, who are now eligible for lower grade boundaries or additional consideration for entry on their chosen course.

Crucially, it is where the applicants are attending school or college that will affect their eligibility, not necessarily where they live, and the scheme will apply to all of Keele’s undergraduate courses for September 2022 entry, except for veterinary medicine.

Other offer schemes that students can take advantage of include “Contextual Offers”, where applicants’ personal circumstances can merit a reduced offer; “Additional Qualifications”, where applicants taking additional qualifications on top of their level three study see this recognised in their offer, such as the extended project qualification (EPQ); and the “Widening Access to Medicine” scheme, which aims to make medicine more accessible to applicants from backgrounds which are traditionally under-represented in the medical profession.

Lois Adams, a fourth-year Forensic Science student from Telford in Shropshire, joined the university through the additional qualifications scheme and said: “Looking back it was the best thing for me. I’m really glad I did the additional qualification and ever since I’ve joined Keele I’ve never looked back.

“I would definitely encourage people to look into these alternative offers. Not only do they create opportunities for more people, but they also create more diversity within universities, which can only be a good thing.”

Robbie Pickles, Director of Global Student Recruitment and Admissions said: “Keele was founded to ensure students here in the Potteries and across the North Midlands had access to high quality, research-led education. Since then, our ambition and influence has become global in scale. However, our position at the border of three counties - and at the gateway to the Peak District and North Wales - will always shape our ethos and approach. We are committed to supporting prospective students across the Keele Region as part of our ongoing commitment to this part of the country we all call home.”

For more information on Keele’s alternative offers scheme, visit our website.