LEAPS Transitions Course: eligibility, deadline and what it gives you
The LEAPS Transitions Course is an S6 timetable option for LEAPS-eligible pupils, run on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons from August to March with online lectures and on-campus tutorials in Edinburgh, worth 20 credits at SCQF level 7. Glasgow's Top-Up is the equivalent six-week online course for pupils at around 100 west of Scotland schools, run with FOCUS West in Nov to Dec and Jan to Mar cohorts. Edinburgh recognises both as bridging programmes for Medicine: completion counts as one Higher at B, and carers who complete one get the Plus Flag.
- Closes
- Opens soon
- For
- S5 to S6 students, medicine
- Where
- Scotland
- Gives you
- Counts as a Higher
What you get
Completing LEAPS Transitions Course gives you a counts as a Higher for medicine.
- At Edinburgh, completing a recognised bridging programme (60% or more for Transitions, a BBB profile for Top-Up) replaces one Higher at grade B; it cannot replace a required subject and only one course counts
- Carers who complete one get Edinburgh's Plus Flag: minimum entry grades, no UCAT cut-off, a 10% UCAT uplift and guaranteed progression to the next stage
- Completion alone does not make you a widening access applicant at Edinburgh
- Not accepted for Medicine at Aberdeen, Dundee or Glasgow (where Reach is required), nor for St Andrews Gateway to Medicine
Who can apply
You need to
- Attend a LEAPS partner school (Transitions) or a Top-Up school in the west of Scotland
- Be LEAPS-eligible (Transitions) or at a participating Top-Up school, and be put forward through your school
- Be predicted at least BB at Higher by the end of S5 for Transitions
Plus at least one of
- Low-progression school
- Deprived postcode
- Care-experienced
- Estranged from parents
- Young carer
- Refugee or asylum seeker
- First in family to university
- Low household income
What it involves
- Fit about six hours a week on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons into your S6 timetable
Dates
- Applications open
- Not published, last cycle 23 February
- Applications close
- Not published, last cycle 16 March; Top-Up registers through your school
- Programme runs
- Transitions: Aug 2027 to Mar 2028 in S6; Top-Up: Nov to Dec 2026 or Jan to Mar 2027 cohorts
- Apply to university
- UCAS deadline 15 October 2027 for 2028 entry
How to apply
Apply through the About the LEAPS Transitions Course page. It is run by LEAPS with the University of Edinburgh; Top-Up by the University of Glasgow with FOCUS West. Questions go to leapstransitions@ed.ac.uk.
Frequently asked questions
Does LEAPS Transitions Course guarantee an interview?
No. LEAPS Transitions Course gives a counts as a Higher rather than a guaranteed interview. At Edinburgh, completing a recognised bridging programme (60% or more for Transitions, a BBB profile for Top-Up) replaces one Higher at grade B; it cannot replace a required subject and only one course counts.
Who is eligible for LEAPS Transitions Course?
Attend a LEAPS partner school (Transitions) or a Top-Up school in the west of Scotland. You need to be LEAPS-eligible (Transitions) or at a participating Top-Up school, and be put forward through your school, be predicted at least BB at Higher by the end of S5 for Transitions, and meet at least one of its widening participation criteria, such as low-progression school, deprived postcode, care-experienced.
When is the LEAPS Transitions Course deadline?
This cycle's closing date has not been published. Not published, last cycle 16 March; Top-Up registers through your school. Applications not published, last cycle 23 February.
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