Using UCAS MEM for contextual offers

Harvey, Laura, Jong, Stephanie and Smith, Myles (2025) Using UCAS MEM for contextual offers. Higher Education Quarterly, 79 (1). ISSN 0951-5224

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Abstract

Contextual admissions schemes are commonly used across the United Kingdom (UK) for admission into higher education (HE) institutions. These schemes consider an applicant's background and circumstances alongside academic achievement to provide a fairer evaluation of progression into university. Several contextual factors have been considered by HE providers and few have been evaluated in the literature. However, the University and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) Multiple Equality Measure (MEM), introduced in 2018, is yet to be evaluated in contextual admissions schemes. This study evaluates the use of UCAS MEM data for contextual admissions at one mid-sized UK institution using a difference-in-differences framework and institutional data on applications for academic years 2021/22 and 2022/23. We found that the introduction of contextual offers, using UCAS MEM data, reduced the likelihood that applicants declined their offer. Applicants were more likely to place the offer from the university as their insurance option. This suggests that the contextual offer increased the appeal of the institution as a solid insurance option, with a marginal increase in probability of study at the institution. Caution is needed when implementing a contextual admissions policy based on UCAS MEM. University policies should consider alignment with their Access and Participation Plan (APP) objectives and commitments, and to ensure applicants understand the basis on which they may be offered a contextual offer.

Item Type:	Article
Additional Information:	Data Availability Statement: Research data are not shared. Funding Information: The authors received no specific funding for this work.
Uncontrolled Keywords:	contextual admissions,higher education policy,multiple equality measure,widening participation
Faculty \ School:	Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > School of Health Sciences
UEA Research Groups:	Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > Research Centres > Lifespan Health Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > Research Groups > Health Promotion
Depositing User:	LivePure Connector
Date Deposited:	22 Jan 2025 01:04
Last Modified:	22 Jan 2025 01:04
URI:	https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/98293
DOI:	10.1111/hequ.70012

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