Reach at Reach Scotland: eligibility, deadline and what it gives you
Reach is the Scottish Funding Council's national programme for pupils interested in medicine, dentistry, law and veterinary medicine, delivered regionally by Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow and St Andrews. Pupils register from S4 through their school and get subject sessions, UCAT and personal statement workshops, a campus week in S5 and application support in S6. The admissions benefit depends on the university: Glasgow requires it for its adjusted offer, Aberdeen counts registration as a widening-access criterion, and Dundee and Edinburgh use it as support or context only.
- Closes
- Not published
- For
- S4 to S6 students, medicine and dentistry
- Where
- Scotland
- Gives you
- Lower offer
What you get
Completing Reach gives you a lower offer for medicine and dentistry at Reach Scotland.
- Glasgow: adjusted offer for Medicine (AAABB in S5 instead of AAAAB) and Dentistry, with a graded UCAT adjustment
- Aberdeen: registration counts as a widening-access criterion, giving an AAAB Highers or AAB A-level offer and, for Scottish-domiciled applicants, a guaranteed interview
- Counts towards eligibility for the Gateway to Medicine years at Glasgow (A900) and St Andrews (LQV9); Aberdeen's Gateway (A1A1) does not list it
- Dundee treats participation as a case-by-case contextual factor; Edinburgh offers support only
To get it, you must
- Glasgow: complete the programme with the required grades and meet a widening participation criterion
- Aberdeen: score in the top 75% of Aberdeen's UCAT applicants for the guaranteed interview
Who can apply
You need to
- Attend a state school in Scotland covered by one of the five Reach regions
- Be at a state secondary school in a Reach region and meet one Scottish Funding Council access criterion
- Be nominated by your school
- Free school meals and EMA count at Edinburgh and St Andrews but not at Glasgow; check with your regional Reach team
Plus at least one of
- Deprived postcode
- Care-experienced
- Young carer
- Estranged from parents
- Refugee or asylum seeker
- Free school meals
- Low household income
What it involves
- Complete the programme, including the S5 research assignment and campus week, for Glasgow's adjusted offer
Dates
- Applications open
- Rolling registration from S4
- Applications close
- No closing date published, register through your school
- Programme runs
- S4 taster sessions, S5 online course and a campus week in June, S6 application support
- Apply to university
- UCAS deadline 15 October 2027 for 2028 entry
How to apply
Apply through the Reach at Glasgow page. It is run by Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow and St Andrews, funded by the Scottish Funding Council.
Frequently asked questions
Does Reach guarantee an interview?
Yes, if you complete the programme and meet its academic conditions. Glasgow: adjusted offer for Medicine (AAABB in S5 instead of AAAAB) and Dentistry, with a graded UCAT adjustment.
Who is eligible for Reach?
Attend a state school in Scotland covered by one of the five Reach regions. You need to be at a state secondary school in a Reach region and meet one Scottish Funding Council access criterion, be nominated by your school, free school meals and EMA count at Edinburgh and St Andrews but not at Glasgow; check with your regional Reach team, and meet at least one of its widening participation criteria, such as deprived postcode, care-experienced, young carer.
When is the Reach deadline?
This cycle's closing date has not been published. No closing date published, register through your school. Applications rolling registration from S4.
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