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For Schools and Colleges
Students in mathematics lecture

Eligibility and selection criteria

All applicants for STEP should be interested in exploring Durham University and finding out about what the University has to offer. As places are limited and highly sought after, we will use the eligibility and selection criteria to help us identify those applicants who we feel will benefit the most from the programme. Successful applicants are not required to choose Durham University through UCAS; however, the programme aims to support students in their pursuit of a place at Durham University, and we encourage applicants consider this before applying.

Essential criteria – applicants must:

  • Be of Black heritage/ descent 
  • Be in Year 12 and attending a state school or college
  • Currently live in the UK and have for a minimum of three years before the time of application.
  • Be a UK national or have “settled status”, such as indefinite leave to remain in the UK, except where residence in the UK is wholly or mainly for full-time education.
  • Study related subjects to the subject streams for which you are applying. We recommend students research subject-specific entry requirements on our website before applying.
  • Come from neighbourhoods with low overall progression rates to higher education or high levels of financial, economic or social deprivation.1
  • Have achieved at least eight GCSEs or equivalent at grade 6 or above, and have a strong level of achievement for relevant subjects.

We understand some students may experience mitigating circumstances, which can mean their results do not reflect their true potential. If this applies to you, please inform us in your application form. The teacher who supports your application can provide further details of any such circumstances through their part of the process too. Therefore, you may wish to speak with them about this before submitting your application.

Additionally, we may prioritise applicants meeting some of the following (in no particular order)

  • Are care-experienced.2
  • Are estranged from their parent(s)/carer(s).3
  • Receive, or are entitled to, free school meals.
  • Will be within the first generation in their family to attend university.

This criterion is used to identify students with merit and potential who are currently underrepresented in higher education and at Durham University. Additionally, we particularly welcome applications from black-heritage students, including African, Caribbean, dual or mixed heritage.

Destination Durham also welcomes applications from students with disabilities and makes reasonable adjustments to facilitate access to all Destination Durham events and the University.

 

Footnotes

1 We will prioritise students who have a postcode determined as TUNDRA MSOA or LSOA Quintiles 1 or 2, as well as consider students with a postcode determined as ACORN groups N, P, Q, R, S, T or U. For further information, please see: Acorn | Geodemographic Segmentation | Acorn Data | CACI.

2 Our definition of care-experienced is someone who, at any stage of their life, and for any length of time, has been in care, i.e. looked after by the local authority. This includes people who have spent time directly in the care of their local authority (e.g. foster care or children’s home), privately fostered, looked after at home under a supervision order, or those who are in kinship foster care (which is where a friend or family member becomes the foster carer, typically through a formal arrangement recognised by a local authority and may be before a Special Guardianship Order (SGO)).

3 Our definition of estrangement refers to people who aren’t communicating with their biological or adoptive parents due to a breakdown in the relationship, where this is not likely to change.