Research indicates students who receive free school meals are more likely to achieve lower educational outcomes (e.g. lower grades at GCSE and/or A level or Highers) as a result of their circumstances.
To ensure that applicants’ achievements are considered in context, admissions staff at some course providers use this, and other information, to form a more complete picture of you as an individual, and identify applicants who have the potential to succeed. This is called ‘contextualised admissions’.
In some cases, course providers may make you a ‘contextual offer’, which is typically slightly lower than the standard entry requirements.