PARTNERS Programme Eligibility Criteria

You are eligible for PARTNERS if you live in a neighbourhood that has a low progression rate to higher education, or you live in a neighbourhood that has a high level of financial, economic or social deprivation.

Check your postcode eligbility

How do we assess postcode data?

English student postcode eligibility is determined as:

• IMD score of 40 or less, and/or;
• One of the classified WP groups through ACORN (groups N, P, Q, R, S or U) and/or;
• TUNDRA LSOA Quintiles 1 or 2

Northern Irish student postcode eligibility is determined as:

• One of the classified WP groups through ACORN (groups N, P, Q, R, S or U)

Scottish student postcode eligibility is determined as:

• SIMD40 (the 40% most deprived postcodes), and/or;
• One of the classified WP groups through ACORN (groups N, P, Q, R, S or U)

Welsh student postcode eligibility is determined as:

• WIMD40 (the 40% most deprived postcodes), and/or:
• One of the classified WP groups through ACORN (groups N, P, Q, R, S or U)

If you attend/attended an identified low performing school/college for your GCSEs or A-levels, you would be eligible for PARTNERS.

• Click here to check whether your school/college is automatically eligible for PARTNERS. 

How do we assess school & college data?

School performance data is taken from the Department for Education data (2023).

You are eligible for PARTNERS if:

• You attended a school in England at age 16 where the GCSE Attainment 8 score is 41 or less.
• You attended a school in Northern Ireland at age 16 where the number of students achieving five or more GCSE grades A* to C, including English and Maths, is 35% or less.
• You attended or attend a school in Scotland with over 50% of pupils who live in the 20% most deprived data zones in Scotland.
• You currently attend a school in England where the average point score per A Level entry is 28 or less.
• You currently attend a school in Northern Ireland where the number of students achieving three or more A-Levels grades A* to C is 35% or less.
• You attend a school in the UK where over 50% of pupils receive or are eligible for Free School Meals.

You are eligible for PARTNERS if you are:

• From a Black, Asian or Other Minoritised Ethnic Group, AND
• Attend/attended a state school or college in the United Kingdom, when sitting your A levels (or equivalent).

The following ethnic groups are eligible under this criteria:

• Arab
• Asian or Asian British – Indian
• Asian or Asian British – Pakistani
• Asian or Asian British – Bangladeshi
• Black or Black British – Caribbean
• Black or Black British – African
• Chinese
• Mixed White and Black Caribbean
• Mixed White and Black African
• Mixed White and Asian
• Other Black background
• Other Asian background
• Other Mixed background

If you are not from a Black, Asian or Minoritised Ethnic Group and attending a state school or college in the UK, you are not eligible based on this criteria.

Find out about some of the support & resources available from Newcastle University and the Students' Union:

• NUSU Welfare & Support Centre: Black, Asian & Minority Ethnic Student Resources (NUSU website)
• Newcastle University Black, Asian & Minoritised Ethnic Groups Student Experience (Facebook video - 5 minutes)

You would be eligible for PARTNERS if you are currently in receipt of, or entitled to, any of the following:

• Free school meals.
  • including if you attend an independent school but would have been eligible for Free School Meals if attending a state school.
• Pupil Premium funding (please speak to staff in your school/college if you are unaware if you are entitled to this funding).
• Discretionary school/college payments that are directly linked to financial hardship.

If you have experienced any time in care during your life for any amount of time you would be eligible for PARTNERS.

This experience could include any of the following:

• Living with foster carers.
• Living in a residential children's home.
• Being looked after at home under a supervision order.
• Living with friends or relatives in kinship care – either through a formal arrangement (e.g. a Special Guardianship order) or an informal arrangement without local authority support.

Find out about the support available for care experienced students while at Newcastle University:

• Support for Care Experienced Students

To be eligible via parental experience, the following must be true:

• Neither of your parents/carers have any of the following higher education qualifications:
  • Higher Degree (eg MA, MSc, PhD, PGCE)
  • First Degree (eg BA, BSc)

You are eligible for PARTNERS if you:

• Have a disability/long-term health condition
  AND
• Are in receipt of the Personal Independence Payment (PIP) at either:
  • the ‘enhanced’ rate in either the ‘daily living’ or ‘mobility’ components
    OR
  • the ‘standard’ rate in both components.

If you do not have a disability/long-term health condition and are not entitled to the PIP at the necessary level, you are not eligible for PARTNERS based on these criteria.

Find out about the support available at Newcastle University:

• Student Health & Wellbeing

You are eligible for PARTNERS if you have sole or shared responsibility for the care of a relative because they are ill, have a disability, are experiencing mental distress, or are affected by substance abuse. This must be confirmed by your referee at your school or college.

If you are not a young carer as outlined above, you are not eligible based on this criteria.

Find out about the support available to student carers at Newcastle University.

You are eligible for PARTNERS if you are an estranged person, who no longer has the support of your family due to a breakdown in the relationship which has led to ceased contact. This might mean your biological, step or adoptive parents, or wider family members who have been responsible for supporting you in the past. This must be confirmed by your referee at your school or college.

If you are not an ‘estranged’ student as outlined above, you are not eligible based on this criteria.

• Find out about the support available to estranged students at Newcastle University.

As a member of the Armed Forces Covenant, Newcastle University is proud to support those who serve in the military and their families.

You are eligible for PARTNERS if either of your parents/carers are serving or have served in the armed forces at key educational times, defined by:

- Study during your GCSEs

AND/OR

- Study during your A levels, or equivalent. 

You are also eligible for PARTNERS if you have served in the armed forces. This must be confirmed by your referee at your school or college.

The British Armed Forces consist of:

• Royal Navy
• Royal Marines
• British Army
• Royal Air Force
• Regular Reserves
• Volunteer Reserves
• Sponsored Reserves

If neither your parents/carers nor yourself have served in the armed forces, you are not eligible based on this criteria.

You are eligible for PARTNERS if you are from a Gypsy, Roma or Traveller community.

This must be confirmed by a referee at a school or college that you are attending or have attended.

Refugee Status

You are eligible for PARTNERS if you have refugee status. You must be classified as a home student for fees purposes.

Asylum Seeker

You are eligible for PARTNERS if you are seeking asylum in the United Kingdom. You must be classified as a home student for fees purposes.

Your status will be verified by our admissions team on the submission of your UCAS application.

• Find out about the support available for Asylum Seekers at Newcastle University.

Humanitarian Protection

You are eligible for PARTNERS if you are currently under Humanitarian Protection, granted by the UK government. Your status will be verified by our admissions team on the submission of your UCAS application.  You must be classified as a home student for fees purposes.

All applicants must meet the English language criteria for their course or have relevant qualifications to indicate their English language competency. To check requirements for individual courses please refer to our subject web pages.

You are eligible for PARTNERS if you are a parent/carer and responsible for the care and wellbeing of a child under the age of 17.

• Find out about the support available for student parents.

You could be eligible for the PARTNERS programme if you have applied or are planning on applying to one or more of our Engineering, Maths, Physics or Natural and Environmental Sciences degrees programmes at Newcastle.

To find out more and to check which subjects meet this requirement, click here.

Please note: If you are applying for multiple courses at Newcastle University but only meet this specific criteria, you can only be made the lower PARTNERS offer for these listed courses as your firm choice course (CF). If you do not meet any of the other PARTNERS widening participation criteria, any application to courses outside of the above list will be processed in the standard way. 

You are eligible for the PARTNERS Programme if you have experienced personal extenuating circumstances (PEC) relating to social, economic or educational disadvantage at key educational times, provided these have had significant impact on your studies and education.

Disruptions considered include, but are not limited to, significant absences from or disturbances to education as a result of: 

• Significant family issues. 

• A disability or health condition

• Discrimination for students identifying as LGBTQ+ & under the trans umbrella*

*Those defined as identifying under the trans umbrella are students whose gender identity and/or expression differs from the sex they were assigned at birth and includes students who live permanently or temporarily in one or more genders. 

Eligibility via the PEC criteria will be assessed on a case-by-case basis, upon receipt of a PARTNERS application form. Please detail any personal circumstances on your PARTNERS application form under the 'Further Details' section

Please note: with the exception of extreme circumstances, disruption caused by the Coronavirus pandemic will not be considered as personal extenuating circumstances. If you believe that your personal circumstances have been extremely impacted as a result of Coronavirus, please refer to our FAQs