FOCUS West: eligibility, deadline and what it gives you
FOCUS West is the Schools for Higher Education Programme for the west of Scotland, hosted at the University of Strathclyde and funded by the Scottish Funding Council. Development workers give guidance in partner schools, with campus visits in S3 and S4 and the University of Glasgow's Top-Up course in S5 and S6. St Andrews counts FOCUS West pupils as widening access students, but its medicine page does not list the programme as a route to its lower minimum grades.
- Closes
- Not published
- For
- S4 to S6 students, medicine
- Where
- Scotland
- Gives you
- Contextual flag
What you get
Completing FOCUS West gives you a contextual flag for medicine.
- St Andrews lists FOCUS West among the programmes that make you a widening access applicant, considered at its minimum entry grades (AAB instead of AAA, or AAABB instead of AAAAB in S5)
- But St Andrews' medicine page limits minimum-entry consideration to SIMD40, care-experienced, young carer, estranged or refugee applicants, so check with medical.admissions@st-andrews.ac.uk
- No benefit for Medicine at Glasgow, where the route is the Reach programme
- Top-Up completers with a BBB profile have it passed to Scottish universities for adjusted offers on non-medical courses
Who can apply
You need to
- Attend a FOCUS West partner school in the west of Scotland
- Speak to your pastoral care teacher; there is no formal nomination or public application
Plus at least one of
- Deprived postcode
- Care-experienced
- Estranged from parents
- Young carer
- Refugee or asylum seeker
What it involves
- Complete the Top-Up coursework, live sessions and assignment to a BBB profile for it to count
Dates
- Applications open
- School-based, no public window
- Applications close
- No public deadline
- Programme runs
- Through the school year, with Top-Up cohorts in Nov to Dec 2026 and Jan to Mar 2027
- Apply to university
- UCAS deadline 15 October 2027 for 2028 entry
How to apply
Apply through the The FOCUS West programme page. It is run by FOCUS West at the University of Strathclyde with the University of Glasgow. Questions go to focuswest@strath.ac.uk.
Frequently asked questions
Does FOCUS West guarantee an interview?
No. FOCUS West gives a contextual flag rather than a guaranteed interview. St Andrews lists FOCUS West among the programmes that make you a widening access applicant, considered at its minimum entry grades (AAB instead of AAA, or AAABB instead of AAAAB in S5).
Who is eligible for FOCUS West?
Attend a FOCUS West partner school in the west of Scotland. You need to speak to your pastoral care teacher; there is no formal nomination or public application, and meet at least one of its widening participation criteria, such as deprived postcode, care-experienced, estranged from parents.
When is the FOCUS West deadline?
This cycle's closing date has not been published. No public deadline. Applications school-based, no public window.
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