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Advance notice of changes to the contextual data service for the 2018 admissions cycle

In addition to the information provided through the application process, we offer providers a contextual data service, using data from education departments across the UK.

Posted Thu 26 January 2017

This service provides data about an applicant's school or college and local area, which can be used for contextualised admissions – to help with assessing an applicant’s prior attainment and potential to succeed in light of their educational background.
 
In response to qualification reform and policy changes, school performance measures, which form a significant part of this service, are undergoing significant change in England and Wales. Similarly, Curriculum for Excellence in Scotland has resulted in changes to the way in which data is reported, and Northern Ireland is to commence a review shortly. This means that many of the metrics included in the service for the 2017 admissions cycle will be not be available for the 2018 admissions cycle.
 
To continue to support you in widening participation in higher education, the below 2016 data will be available for the 2018 admissions cycle through the UCAS link products.

Contextual data service for the 2018 admissions cycle

* Only available in web-link.
** Note that the Department for Education in England and Welsh Government have made changes to the methodology used for these measures, so care must be taken when making comparisons with previous years.
For more information about the service, please contact contextualdata@ucas.ac.uk.