Declaring criminal convictions

For some of our courses we might ask you to declare a criminal conviction while you are applying. You might also need to declare spent convictions. Where this is the case, we will send you further information during your application process.

If your offer requires a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check, you won't need to disclose anything other than the category of conviction when you receive an offer. If the DBS check reveals any convictions that would prevent you from completing your studies, your offer will be withdrawn.

If you’re planning to study in our School of Medicine, Healthcare or the Leeds Dental Institute you'll also need to meet their policy on criminal convictions. You'll be given more information about this during the application process. 

Study or placement abroad

Visa requirements may prevent you from entering certain countries. If your course requires you to complete a module or placement abroad, you should check whether any criminal convictions you have could prevent you from entering that country.

If we don’t consider your conviction to be relevant, we’ll let you know and no record will be kept of the declaration.

If we consider that it may be relevant, we’ll ask for more information. This may include a request for permission to contact relevant people such as your probation officer, social worker or referees. We may also request to meet you to understand details of your conviction. 

Once we have the information we need, we will carry out a risk assessment. We will then either:

• Confirm your offer with no changes or additional restrictions.
• Propose additional conditions on your admission. These could include restricting your module choices or rejecting your application to stay in University accommodation, or restricting it to certain locations. You can then choose whether to accept this changed offer.
• Withdraw your offer (withdrawing an offer happens very rarely).

You have the right to appeal a decision by emailing Student Cases via studentcases@leeds.ac.uk. Grounds for appeal are outlined in the policy.

We aim to admit a wide range of students to study at Leeds and we don't want to exclude students with criminal records. However, we have a duty of care to protect our community and provide a safe and secure environment for our students, staff and members of the public. This can include children under the age of 18 and other vulnerable people in line with our safeguarding policy (PDF).

We ask for information about convictions so that we are able to identify and minimise any potential risks. We also use the information to assess your suitability for your course or to stay in University accommodation and to make any reasonable adjustments where appropriate. 

We will decide whether a conviction gives reasonable grounds for thinking that a student's admission would: 

• pose a threat to the safety of staff, students, visitors, those coming into contact with them during their studies or others involved in University business 
• be contrary to the law or to the requirements or guidance of any relevant Professional, Statutory or Regulatory Body. 

We treat all declarations confidentially and access is restricted to any relevant members of staff. Information is only used to carry out the risk assessment and carry out any risk management steps identified. All information is stored in an encrypted area.

 If your conviction is not considered relevant, we won't keep any information declared to us.

If your conviction is considered relevant, the amount of time we'll keep information will depend on the outcome of the risk assessment process:

• If you are admitted to the University, the information will be kept until your conviction is spent or until six months after you leave the University.
• If you are not admitted to the University for another reason, such as not achieving the grades of your offer, the information will be kept until six months after the last date on which you can register for a course. 
• If you are not admitted to the University because of your criminal conviction, the information will be kept for six months after the last date that you could have registered for your course if you had been admitted. 

You must notify the University immediately by emailing Declaration Queries via declaration@leeds.ac.uk in order for a risk assessment to be carried out before your admission.

If you don't declare a relevant unspent conviction, your offer could be withdrawn. If you have already registered you may be asked to leave the University.