Advisers: Free school meals application fee waiver guide

Frequently asked questions

• Will the answers to the FSM question be verified?

  For the 2025 cycle, teachers/advisers will confirm the student self-declared data within the application.

  We’re currently refining the verification process, which will be a simple tick box in the adviser portal. Supporting documents for 2025 applications will reflect the new initiative and be sent to you before the end of June. 

• Why is the fee only being waived for FSM applicants – we have other applicants struggling who could benefit?

  The claiming of free school meals is a rigorous and widely accepted measure of acute financial hardship. In research conducted by the Sutton Trust, the number of years that a child has been eligible for free school meals is the best available marker for childhood poverty. 

  It is also the only defined widening participation characteristic which directly links to the individual’s circumstances of financial disadvantage (as opposed to postcode data, family background, school type). It is also already widely used in the education and higher education sector as a critical indicator of where to target resources, such as bursaries and contextual offers, to support those from low-income households to succeed. 

  At this stage we are only planning to waive the fee for FSM undergraduate applicants. However, we know that this move will benefit many other under-represented groups within higher education, due to the high levels of overlap with other characteristics. 

  The application fee is not meant to prevent anyone from applying to university. There should always be a way to cover the fee. 

  You could encourage your students to contact their university or college directly as they may also have schemes to pay for application fees in some circumstances. 

  For students in certain circumstances, there may be other sources of financial help: 

  Learn all about filling in the UCAS application. 

• Who is eligible to have the application fee waived?

  For the 2025 cycle, students who are currently enrolled at school or college, and have been in receipt of free school meals at some point during the last six years (i.e. during their secondary education) up until the end of their final year, will be eligible to have the application fee waived. 

  Students applying from the independent school sector can indicate their financial circumstances would have made them eligible for free school meals in the past six years. This can be verified by teachers/advisers using the Bursary Assessment Associates individual verification service.
   
  Students who are not currently enrolled at a school or college, but who are applying through a registered centre and can demonstrate to the centre they have been in receipt of free school meals at some point during the last six years, are eligible to have the application fee waived.    

• How is the information about free school meals used?

  This information is shared (securely) with those who are responsible for supporting the student at university or college, and it is treated confidentially. 

  Knowing about an applicant's circumstances may also help admissions staff take their achievements into account and gain a better understanding of their achievements and potential in context. They may be able to offer additional support during their studies (e.g. through a scholarship or bursary scheme), or events or activities to help them prepare for higher education. Some may use this information to decide whether to make them a contextual offer. 

  The information an applicant provides in their UCAS application may also be used (anonymously) for monitoring purposes. This helps the university to inform and improve the support they provide to students in the future. The data is kept in accordance with the Data Protection Act 2018 -read our privacy policy.