Eligibility
- Which school year should I be in to apply for Accelerate?
- What are the eligibility criteria?
Accelerate is for senior school pupils who are getting ready to apply to, or go to, University. Pupils should be in either S4 or S5 during the application process which runs through February – April each year. This means that pupils will be starting S5 or S6 when the programme runs in June.
All places on the programme are fully funded and awarded to pupils based on six Widening Access criteria. These are:
- Attendance at a Target School
- Postcode - if your postcode is in Quintile 1 or 2 as measured by the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD)
- Care-Experience
- Young Carer
- Refugee and Asylum Seeker
- Free School Meals
- Why are there eligibility criteria?
- How do I find out if I go to one of the University’s target schools?
Accelerate is a dedicated widening access programme which means that all places are fully funded. Widening Access term refers to the removal of barriers for groups of students who are under-represented in Higher Education (HE).
You can find out more about what widening access means on our website: https://www.strath.ac.uk/professionalservices/accessequalityinclusionservice/wideningaccess/wideningaccessatstrathclyde/
You can find our Target Schools List here: https://www.strath.ac.uk/media/1newwebsite/documents/list_of_target_schools.pdf https://www.strath.ac.uk/media/1newwebsite/documents/list_of_target_schools.pdf
- How do I find out what SIMD Quintile my home postcode is in?
- I don’t go to a target school, can I still apply?
You can check your postcode here: https://simd.scot/.
If you are unsure, please get in touch and we can confirm this for you.
Attendance at one of the University’s target schools is only one of the eligibility criteria. As long as you meet at least one of the other eligibility criteria, then you can apply for a funded place on Accelerate.
- I go to a target school but don’t meet any of the other eligibility criteria, am I still eligible to apply?
- I am really interested in taking part in one of the Accelerate Challenges but I don’t meet any of the eligibility criteria, how can I take part?
Yes, pupils must only meet at least one of the eligibility criteria to be able to apply. As you meet the criteria of attendance at a target school, you don’t have to meet any other criteria.
Accelerate is a dedicated Widening Access programme which means that all places are fully funded. Unfortunately, if you do not meet any of the Widening Access criteria above, we cannot offer you a place on the programme.
Applying
- How do I apply?
- If I meet the eligibility criteria, does that mean I will get a place on the programme?
There are two ways that pupils can apply for a funded place, through their parent/guardian or through their school:
1) Applying for a Funded Place: Info for Parents/Guardians
2) Applying for a Funded Place: Info for Teachers
Meeting just one of the eligibility criteria is necessary for pupils to apply for a place, but does not guarantee a place on the programme.
However, while matching one criterion is not a guarantee of a funded place (if some challenges are very popular and are over-subscribed, we may need to prioritise pupils who match more than one criterion) you will probably have a very good chance of being awarded a funded place if you do only meet one criterion.
The pupil personal statement is also taken into consideration. Pupils need to demonstrate in their personal statement that they are interested in going onto study that particular subject at University. Pupils should provide as much detail as possible in their personal statement.
- I am interested in more than one subject; can I apply for multiple Challenges?
- How are places allocated?
We understand that pupils may still be undecided about which subject or course they would like to study at University, so it’s possible that you may want to apply for multiple Accelerate Challenges to help you decide. Pupils can apply for one Challenge per week at most.*
*submitting an application does not guarantee a place on the programme.
Places are allocated based on Widening Access criteria with points allocated to applications based on how many of the criteria are met. If a pupil meets one criterion, they will have a very good chance of being allocated a place. However, depending on numbers, for some of our challenges that are very popular and over-subscribed, we may only be able to allocate places to pupils matching more than criterion. The quality and relevance of the pupil’s personal statement will also be taken into consideration.
- When will I hear about the outcome of my application?
- I took part in Accelerate last year when I was in S5, can I apply again a year later?
We wait until the application deadline has passed before considering all applications. This means that you will not hear back from us until after the application deadline, even if you applied early in the application cycle.
Most Challenges run the same activities and assessments each year so it may not be beneficial for you to repeat the same Challenge again – an exception to this would be if you did not manage to gain the credits at SCQF Level 7 and would like another opportunity to achieve this.
Separately, if you are a previous Accelerate participant who is still undecided on your future path of study, we would certainly welcome another application from you for another Challenge.
Teachers
- How many pupil places is each school allocated?
- Is there a limit on how many pupils a school can put forward for Accelerate?
Schools are not awarded a maximum number of pupil places. If pupils meet the criteria above, there is no limit on the number from one school who may be successful.
No, there is no limit on how many pupils that a school can put forward.
- How do I apply on behalf of my pupils?
- Where can I find out more information about the programme?
Please follow this link to find full details on how teachers can apply on behalf of their pupils:
Applying for a Funded Place: Info for Teachers
If there’s information that you can’t find on our website, you can email us at accelerate-programme@strath.ac.uk.
- Can someone come out to our school to talk to our pupils about the programme?
- Our school is not listed as a target school, how do you decide on these?
Yes, please get in touch with us via email to arrange this: accelerate-programme@strath.ac.uk.
Our methodology for collating the list of target schools is primarily based upon school Higher Education Progression Rate data (i.e. the proportion of young people at school progressing directly to Higher Education immediately after leaving school). We looked at the data for academic years 2014/15 through 2018/19 inclusive and calculated a 5 year median. For inclusion on our list, the following criteria were then used:
- Median progression rate of 31.1% or lower for the period in question (nationwide median for the same period was 36.1%)
- Schools designated as ‘red’ by FOCUS West, a section of the Scottish Funding Council’s National Schools Programme (‘red’ being schools with an average Higher Education progression rate of 25% or lower, or at least 40% of the school roll resides within SIMD 0-20 areas, based upon the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation)
- Schools which were present on the previous version of the University’s list of target schools, but which would not meet either of the other two criteria
- This final group comprised of 21 schools who were written to separately to congratulate them on their successes and inform them that if, at the next review period, they exceed the progression rate threshold then at that point they would be removed from our list.
Our target schools list is not just used for Accelerate; it is primarily used for admissions to the University. Therefore, we leave our list of target schools in place for a few years at a time to allow ease of communication to potential applicants and their advisers; and also, to allow new data to emerge. We last reviewed our group of target schools to be applicable for entry to the University from September 2021 onwards: Whilst at present we have not set a definite timeline for our next review of the school list, we will not be reviewing it before 2025 entry at the earliest.
Attending Accelerate
- I live too far away to commute to Strathclyde for Accelerate. Does the University offer any accommodation?
- How does the week work?
Accelerate is not a residential programme and we are unfortunately unable to offer accommodation to any pupils. We ask that pupils only apply if they are within commuting distance to the University.
Accelerate runs on the Strathclyde campus from 10am to 4pm from Monday to Friday and pupils are expected to be present for the full week. Pupils will take part in a range of activities based around their chosen subject, including but not limited to: lectures; practical activities/ experiments; external visits. Pupils will be working in groups with other pupils, led by student mentors who are current Strathclyde students, studying in the particular department associated with each Challenge.
- Is transport offered?
- Is there any cost to attending?
Transport is not provided and you will be required to make your own way to and from the University at the beginning and end of each day. The University is centrally located within Glasgow city centre so there are many public transport options available.
We would encourage use of the bus, with your concessionary card, where possible. If train travel is required, then we can reimburse your travel costs.
There is no cost to pupils to attend Accelerate as all places are fully funded due to the programme being a dedicated widening access programme.
- Is lunch provided?
- Do I need to attend the full week?
Lunch is not provided. There are many places around the campus where you will be able to buy food if you wish. You are also welcome to bring a packed lunch with you each day.
Yes, the whole week is connected and pupils will be working towards a final goal, specific to their Challenge. Missing a day or multiple days of the Challenge will make it harder for the pupil to engage across the entire week and achieve their end assignment. For credit-rated Challenges, absences may mean that pupils are unable to achieve the credits and unfortunately, we are unable to offer pupils an opportunity to make up the work at another time.