Admissions guidance for courses in the Faculty of Social Sciences
This information applies to courses offered by the following academic schools for 2026 entry:
- School of Education
- School of Law
- School of Politics and International Studies
- School of Sociology and Social Policy
Applications should arrive at UCAS by 18:00 (UK time) on 14 January 2026. This is our 'equal consideration' deadline, which means we must consider all applications received by this time equally.
UCAS terms explained
The UCAS glossary of terms will help you to understand the application process.
Personal statements and references
The personal statement is an important part of your UCAS application. It gives you an opportunity to further demonstrate to us your passion and aptitude for your subject, showcase any relevant skills you have and convey your plans for the future. For more information, visit our personal statement tips page.
Where applications show similar academic achievements and predicted grades, we may use personal statements and references in order to differentiate between applicants.
Interviews
Shortlisted applicants for the BA Social Science (foundation degree) will be invited to participate in an informal interview as part of the application process.
For all other programmes in the Faculty of Social Sciences interviews do not form part of our standard admissions process; however, in some cases, an applicant may be invited for an interview if it will help inform whether an offer should be made.
Will I receive an offer?
Courses in the Faculty of Social Sciences receive a high volume of applications relative to the places available. This means that we cannot extend an offer to all applicants. Offer decisions are made based on an overall review of applications including predicted grades, breadth of knowledge demonstrated through qualifications, personal statement, and contextual information.
Applications may be unsuccessful based on an overall assessment or for specific reasons such as:
- An incomplete UCAS form
- Failure to respond to a request for more information before the given deadline (where information is missing from the application form or additional clarification is needed, an email request for this information will be sent to the email address provided in the UCAS application)
- Low predicted or achieved grades
- Poor personal statement (see personal statement guidance on what to include).
Please note that meeting, or being predicted to meet, the academic entry criteria does not automatically result in an offer being made.
Application decisions
We typically receive a high number of applications to our courses in the Faculty of Social Sciences. In some Schools the number of applicants exceeds the number of places available and so, to ensure that we treat all applications fairly and equitably, we may review applications after the UCAS deadline before making a final decision.
This is a normal part of our process for these courses and may mean applicants have to wait longer than usual to hear from us and we will let you know if your application is to be processed in this way.
Offer decisions are made based on an overall review of applications including predicted grades, breadth of knowledge demonstrated through qualifications, personal statement, extra-curricular and work experience, and contextual information.
Qualifications taken early
We recognise that some applicants may have studied a more flexible curriculum, where applicants have been able to progress through their educational development at an appropriate rate according to ability. Where a Level 2 (for example, GCSE) or Level 3 (for example, A Level) qualification has been taken ‘early’ the academic reference should include the reasons for this so that it can be taken into consideration by the admissions team.
Resits
We will consider applications from those who are re-taking examinations prior to entering the University.
Deferral requests
For 2026 entry we will consider applications for entry deferred to September 2027.
Advanced entry
We will consider applications from those who are seeking entry to the second year for the following Schools:
- School of Education
- School of Sociology & Social Policy
- School of Politics & International Studies *With the exception of BA Economics and Politics
All such applications must be made through UCAS, by 30 June. To be eligible the applicant must demonstrate that they meet the following criteria:
- Meet first year requirements, as detailed on Coursefinder
- Have met the learning outcomes of year 1 of the relevant programme
- Have achieved a minimum 2:1 or equivalent in the first year of study
Decisions on such applications are made by the Academic Admissions Director (or other academic lead).
Entry onto Level 2 and 3 of courses within the School of Law is not permitted other than through agreed partnership agreements.
Internal transfers
We will consider applications from those who wish to transfer internally from other programmes at the University of Leeds, providing places are available. Current students enquiring about a potential change of programme will be required to complete this Change of Programme Initial Enquiry Form in the first instance.
Applicant assessment
Academic grades normally form only one part of the final decision and Appendix I gives examples of how applicants through their personal statement, may demonstrate that they have the skills, knowledge and attributes that we consider will enable them to become successful students on our degree courses.
Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) information
If you hope to gain any experience working with children or vulnerable adults during your time with Leeds, you’ll need to be apply for a DBS check in order to do so.
If you are an international student, you will need to bring a police check from your home country with you. This document will need to be presented to any potential employers within the UK.
A DBS check is required to enrol onto some of our courses in the School of Education. Please see individual course pages for further information.
You can find guidance on DBS checks and equivalent checks for international applicants on the DBS website.
Admissions policy
The University of Leeds Admissions Policy can be found here.
Useful contacts
School of Education – email ugeducation@leeds.ac.uk
School of Law – email uglaw@leeds.ac.uk
School of Politics and International Studies- email ugpolis@leeds.ac.uk
School of Sociology and Social Policy – email ugssp@leeds.ac.uk
BA Social Science (foundation year) – email SocialScienceFY@leeds.ac.uk
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Page published: 27 March 2025
Page last updated: 31 March 2025