Reach Edinburgh is a widening participation programme to support eligible S4 to S6 students at state secondary schools in the south-east of Scotland who wish to study law, medicine or veterinary medicine. It offers events and activities to help you better understand your chosen subject and prepares you for the application process. What Reach is Reach is a national widening participation (WP) project, funded by the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) and part of the National Schools Programme (NSP). It supports eligible S4 to S6 students in local state secondary schools, who are considering studying law, medicine or veterinary medicine. You can join any time between S4 and S6. These degrees are very popular. To be successful in your application, you will need good school exam results and show that you have a realistic idea of the skills, qualities and attributes needed to be a lawyer, doctor or vet. What Reach offers Reach provides encouragement and impartial advice for law, medicine or veterinary medicine careers. We will support you with your application for any university. Support Reach Edinburgh staff will support you through all stages of the pre-application process, including school subject choices and career exploration. We will also help with the UCAS application process for law, medicine or veterinary medicine. Our list of free resources will help your research and develop your understanding of these subject areas. The resources can be used by any S4 to S6 student – not just those signed up to Reach Edinburgh or eligible for the programme. Pupil resources What support includes In S4 you can expect to start engaging with your subject area. You can visit our campus, find out more about studying law, medicine or veterinary medicine and get advice on future school subject choices. During S5 you can expect to explore your subject area in more depth through our career exploration events and activities. We will advise on appropriate work experience and give you the chance to meet current students, academic staff and professionals working in your chosen area of interest. When you get to S6 we will support you through the UCAS application process, including personal statements and interviews (if applicable). We will help you make the most of your UCAS application choices, ensuring that you maximise your chance of getting an offer. Events We offer a wide range of activities and events relevant to your area of interest and your current stage in the pre-application or application process. Examples of events and activities we might offer: one-to-one pre-application guidance for you, your family and advisersguidance for your subject choices and extra-curricular requirementsworkshops on personal statements, interview techniques and the University Clinical Aptitude Test needed for medicine degrees (UCAT)work experience placementscareer exploration workshops and eventsopportunities to meet and shadow current studentsinformation sessions for parents, carers and advisers Once you have registered for Reach, we will send you information about upcoming events relevant to you. This may include invitations to events and activities run by other organisations. Attending these events will give a more realistic insight into studying and working in your subject area, helping you to decide if this is the right career path for you. Check your eligibility Reach Edinburgh works with eligible S4 to S6 pupils attending state secondary schools in: EdinburghThe Lothians (East Lothian, Midlothian and West Lothian)FalkirkStirlingScottish BordersClackmannanshire If you attend a state secondary school in any of the above local authority areas and meet at least one of the below criteria, you can sign up for Reach Edinburgh: you are care experiencedyou live in a Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD) quintile 1 or 2 postcode area (a quintile is a 20% portion of the whole postcode range)you are an unpaid young careryou are estranged from your familyyou are a refugee or asylum seekeryou are entitled to free school meals (FSM)you are entitled to Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA)you live in a low-income householdyou live in an area considered to be remote/ruralyour education has been impacted by challenging circumstancesNot sure if you meet the criteria? Learn what these terms mean in our explanations of the eligibility criteria. Eligibility criteria explained If you attend a school in a different areaIf you attend a state secondary school in another area of Scotland, you may be eligible to register with one of the other Reach providers. Find out more about the Reach programme offered by the provider that is closest to you: The University of AberdeenThe University of DundeeThe University of GlasgowThe University of St Andrews Register for Reach You can register to join Reach Edinburgh by completing our online form: Register to join Reach Edinburgh We will review your application and inform you of the outcome within two weeks. Once you have registered for Reach, we will send you a welcome email with next steps you can take. We will continue to send you information about upcoming events and support relevant to you. Contact us If you are unsure about your eligibility for Reach Edinburgh or have any questions about the programme, you can contact us. Reach Edinburgh Contact details Work: +44 (0)7469 915 229 Email: reach@ed.ac.uk Follow us on X (previously Twitter) Follow us on Instagram Follow us on Facebook Contact us through an online sign language interpreter British Sign Language (BSL) users can contact the University of Edinburgh via Contact Scotland BSL, the online British Sign Language video relay interpreting service. Find out more on the Contact Scotland BSL website This article was published on 2025-03-03