Accessibility

· 13 checks — Landmarks, headings, alt text, forms, and link quality rolled into one auditable list.

SCORE

GRADE

FIX

REVIEW

PASS

INFO

Checks

7 PASS 4 REVIEW 2 FIX

Dark Mode Support

Action

Theme color only

FIX

Theme color only

Theme-color present but no dark variant

A theme-color is set but no dark-specific variant was found. The browser toolbar may not adapt for dark mode users.

Got: #ffffff

No dark mode signals detected

Consider adding CSS with @media (prefers-color-scheme: dark) and <meta name='color-scheme' content='light dark'>.

Detection limited to meta tags and inline styles

External CSS files may contain prefers-color-scheme rules not visible to this scan.

Dark ModePartial Dark Mode

color-scheme meta Not set ✗Dark theme-color Not set ✗CSS indicators Not detected ✗

Detection limited to meta tags and inline styles.

Link & Button Quality

4 issue(s) across 79 links and 12 buttons

REVIEW

4 issue(s) across 79 links and 12 buttons

4 link(s) with no accessible text

Links without text are announced as raw URLs by screen readers.

Got: a.lb-prev (#515 on page); a.lb-next (#516 on page); a.lb-cancel (#518 on page); a.lb-close (#525 on page)

75 link(s) with descriptive text

79 links

4 empty

0 generic text

0 new tab

0 empty buttons

Text	Issue	Suggested Fix
(empty)	empty	Add link text or aria-label
(empty)	empty	Add link text or aria-label
(empty)	empty	Add link text or aria-label
(empty)	empty	Add link text or aria-label

87 links and buttons have descriptive text

Links without text are announced as raw URLs by screen readers.

a.lb-prev (#515 on page); a.lb-next (#516 on page); a.lb-cancel (#518 on page); a.lb-close (#525 on page)

Why this matters

Links with no accessible text (empty <a></a>, image-only no alt, icon-only no aria-label) are unidentifiable to screen readers.

Source: WCAG 2.1 SC 2.4.4

Favicon & Branding

6 icon(s) detected

REVIEW

6 icon(s) detected

favicon.ico present at site root

HTML icon links detected

Apple touch icon present

Multiple icon sizes detected

✓ favicon.ico Present

✓ PNG Icons Present

✓ Apple Touch Present

✗ SVG Favicon Missing

✓ Manifest Icons Present

✓ Multiple Sizes Present

Web Manifest

Action

Valid manifest

REVIEW

Valid manifest

No name or short_name

Add a name field to identify the app.

192x192 icon present

512x512 icon present

Display mode: standalone

PWA Install Criteria Not Installable

Name ✗192×192 icon ✓512×512 icon ✓Start URL ✗Display Mode standalone ✓

Display Mode standalone Theme Color #ffffff Background Color #ffffff Icons 2 icon(s)

Color Contrast (Screenshot)

Action

20 text elements analyzed, 17 fail WCAG AA

REVIEW

Analyzes text contrast against the actual rendered page, including background images, gradients, and overlays that CSS-based tools cannot detect.

3 pass 17 fail WCAG AA

h2 Course search

1.29:1

#000000

#202024

needs 3.0:1 (large text)

24px · bottom of viewport

h2 Online undergraduate open day

1.29:1

#000000

#202024

needs 3.0:1 (large text)

24px · bottom of viewport

h2 Postgraduate study at Scotland's top uni…

1.29:1

#000000

#202024

needs 3.0:1 (large text)

24px · bottom of viewport

h2 Making Waves: The Campaign for St Andre…

1.29:1

#000000

#202024

needs 3.0:1 (large text)

24px · bottom of viewport

h2 Featured news

1.29:1

#000000

#202024

needs 3.0:1 (large text)

24px · bottom of viewport

h2 Events at St Andrews

1.29:1

#000000

#202024

needs 3.0:1 (large text)

24px · bottom of viewport

h2 Race Equality Charter award for St Andr…

1.29:1

#000000

#202024

needs 3.0:1 (large text)

24px · bottom of viewport

h2 Your St Andrews

1.29:1

#000000

#202024

needs 3.0:1 (large text)

24px · bottom of viewport

h2 Navigation

1.29:1

#000000

#202024

needs 3.0:1 (large text)

24px · bottom of viewport

h3 Phone

1.29:1

#000000

#202024

needs 3.0:1 (large text)

19px · bottom of viewport

h3 Social media

1.29:1

#000000

#202024

needs 3.0:1 (large text)

19px · bottom of viewport

span Accept recommended settings

1.60:1

#000000

#00315D

needs 4.5:1 (normal text)

16px · top of page (header area)

span Reject all cookies

1.34:1

#000000

#0C253A

needs 4.5:1 (normal text)

16px · above the fold · over background image/gradient

span Cookie preferences

1.23:1

#000000

#28180D

needs 4.5:1 (normal text)

16px · above the fold

a Skip to content

1.81:1

#000000

#562F0F

needs 4.5:1 (normal text)

16px · above the fold · over background image/gradient

a Current students

1.65:1

#000000

#4B2B0C

needs 4.5:1 (normal text)

16px · above the fold · over background image/gradient

a Current postgraduates

1.58:1

#000000

#1E3143

needs 4.5:1 (normal text)

16px · above the fold · over background image/gradient

4 contrast failures on background images/gradients

These failures are invisible to CSS-based accessibility tools like Lighthouse. The text may be fine on a solid background, but fails when rendered over an image or gradient.

Show all checked elements (20)

Element	Ratio	Required	FG	BG	Result
h1 Your choice regardin…	7.37:1	3.0:1	#000000	#999999	Pass
h2 Course search	1.29:1	3.0:1	#000000	#202024	Fail
h2 Online undergraduate…	1.29:1	3.0:1	#000000	#202024	Fail
h2 Postgraduate study a…	1.29:1	3.0:1	#000000	#202024	Fail
h2 Making Waves: The Ca…	1.29:1	3.0:1	#000000	#202024	Fail
h2 Featured news	1.29:1	3.0:1	#000000	#202024	Fail
h2 Events at St Andrew…	1.29:1	3.0:1	#000000	#202024	Fail
h2 Race Equality Charte…	1.29:1	3.0:1	#000000	#202024	Fail
h2 Your St Andrews	1.29:1	3.0:1	#000000	#202024	Fail
h2 Navigation	1.29:1	3.0:1	#000000	#202024	Fail
h3 Phone	1.29:1	3.0:1	#000000	#202024	Fail
h3 Social media	1.29:1	3.0:1	#000000	#202024	Fail
title University of St And…	7.37:1	4.5:1	#000000	#999999	Pass
p We use cookies to op…	7.37:1	4.5:1	#000000	#999999	Pass
span Accept recommended s…	1.60:1	4.5:1	#000000	#00315D	Fail
span Reject all cookies	1.34:1	4.5:1	#000000	#0C253A	Fail
span Cookie preferences	1.23:1	4.5:1	#000000	#28180D	Fail
a Skip to content	1.81:1	4.5:1	#000000	#562F0F	Fail
a Current students	1.65:1	4.5:1	#000000	#4B2B0C	Fail
a Current postgraduate…	1.58:1	4.5:1	#000000	#1E3143	Fail

Methodology: The top 20 text elements by font size were checked. Background color was sampled from the desktop screenshot using a 5-point pattern. WCAG 2.1 AA requires 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text.

A+

Landmark Structure

6 landmarks

PASS

6 landmarks

<main> landmark present

2 <nav> landmark(s) found

All <nav> elements are properly labeled

Skip navigation link present

Page Structure — as a screen reader sees it

Heading Hierarchy

19 headings, 1 skip(s)

PASS

19 headings, 1 skip(s)

Single H1 present

Heading level skipped: H2 → H4 (missing H3)

Skipping heading levels breaks the document outline. Screen readers may interpret missing levels as structural errors.

H1 Your choice regarding cookies on this site
H2 Course search
H4 Additional options skipped
H2 Online undergraduate open day
H2 Postgraduate study at Scotland's top university
H3 Choose St Andrews
H3 Current students
H2 Making Waves: The Campaign for St Andrews
H2 Featured news
H3 Green light for New College
H3 Bubble-netting whales
H3 Digital Nexus gets go ahead
H2 Events at St Andrews
H2 Race Equality Charter award for St Andrews
H2 Your St Andrews
H2 Navigation
H2 Contact us
H3 Phone
H3 Social media

Skipping heading levels breaks the document outline. Screen readers may interpret missing levels as structural errors.

Why this matters

Skipping heading levels breaks the document outline — screen-reader users lose track of section nesting.

Learn more ▾

Screen reader users navigate by jumping between headings (H1 → H2 → H3). Skipping (H1 → H3) breaks the sense of hierarchy. Use sequential levels even if you don't like the default styling — restyle with CSS instead. WCAG 1.3.1 (Info and Relationships) treats this as an A failure.

Source: WCAG 2.1 SC 1.3.1 / W3C WAI

A+

Alt Text Quality

All 12 images OK

PASS

All 12 images OK

12 image(s) with good alt text

12 images 12 good alt text

All images have appropriate alt text.

A+

Form Accessibility

All 2 controls labeled

PASS

All 2 controls labeled

2 control(s) properly labeled

2 controls

2 labeled

0 placeholder only

0 unlabeled

Control	Type	Label	Method
#query	text	Search the University website, use arrow keys to move between suggested search terms	aria-label
#txt-search-course	text	Search for a course, use arrow keys to move between suggested search terms	aria-label

404 Error Page

HTTP 404, custom page

PASS

HTTP 404, custom page

Correct 404 status code returned

Got: HTTP 404

Custom styled 404 page

Navigation links present on 404 page

Homepage link present on 404 page

Search form present on 404 page

404 Page Quality ✓ Custom 404 Page

Status Code HTTP 404 ✓Page Title 404 Page not found - University of St Andrews ✓Custom Styling ✓Navigation ✓Homepage Link ✓Search Form ✓

A+

Print Stylesheet

Print styles detected

PASS

Print styles detected

External print stylesheet detected

Got: https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/~cdn/dpl/1.27.5/styles/print.css

Print Stylesheet ✓ Print Optimized

Print stylesheet https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/~cdn/dpl/1.27.5/styles/print.css ✓Inline @media print Not detected ✗

A+

Lighthouse Accessibility Audits

Score 99/100 — 1 failing, 26 passed

PASS

Accessibility

These checks highlight opportunities to improve the accessibility of your web app. Automatic detection can only detect a subset of issues and does not guarantee the accessibility of your web app, so manual testing is also encouraged.

Navigation

Properly ordered headings that do not skip levels convey the semantic structure of the page, making it easier to navigate and understand when using assistive technologies. Learn more about heading order.

Why this matters

Performance issues directly impact user engagement and conversion rates.

Failing Elements
Additional options `div.hero-section__content > div.hero-section__content-group > div.horizontal-list > h4.horizontal-list__toggle`

These are opportunities to improve keyboard navigation in your application.

○Interactive controls are keyboard focusable

○Interactive elements indicate their purpose and state

○The page has a logical tab order

○Visual order on the page follows DOM order

○User focus is not accidentally trapped in a region

○The user's focus is directed to new content added to the page

○HTML5 landmark elements are used to improve navigation

○Offscreen content is hidden from assistive technology

○Custom controls have associated labels

○Custom controls have ARIA roles

●`[aria-*]` attributes match their roles

●`[aria-hidden="true"]` is not present on the document `<body>`

●`[role]`s have all required `[aria-*]` attributes

●`[role]` values are valid

●`[aria-*]` attributes have valid values

●`[aria-*]` attributes are valid and not misspelled

●Buttons have an accessible name

●Image elements have `[alt]` attributes

●Form elements have associated labels

●`[user-scalable="no"]` is not used in the `<meta name="viewport">` element and the `[maximum-scale]` attribute is not less than 5.

●ARIA attributes are used as specified for the element's role

●Elements with `role="dialog"` or `role="alertdialog"` have accessible names.

●`[aria-hidden="true"]` elements do not contain focusable descendents

●Elements use only permitted ARIA attributes

●Background and foreground colors have a sufficient contrast ratio

●Document has a `<title>` element

●`<frame>` or `<iframe>` elements have a title

●`<html>` element has a `[lang]` attribute

●`<html>` element has a valid value for its `[lang]` attribute

●Links have a discernible name

●Lists contain only `<li>` elements and script supporting elements (`<script>` and `<template>`).

●List items (`<li>`) are contained within `<ul>`, `<ol>` or `<menu>` parent elements

●No element has a `[tabindex]` value greater than 0

●Touch targets have sufficient size and spacing.

●Document has a main landmark.

●Deprecated ARIA roles were not used

○`[accesskey]` values are unique

○`button`, `link`, and `menuitem` elements have accessible names

○ARIA input fields have accessible names

○ARIA `meter` elements have accessible names

○ARIA `progressbar` elements have accessible names

○Elements with an ARIA `[role]` that require children to contain a specific `[role]` have all required children.

○`[role]`s are contained by their required parent element

○Elements with the `role=text` attribute do not have focusable descendents.

○ARIA toggle fields have accessible names

○ARIA `tooltip` elements have accessible names

○ARIA `treeitem` elements have accessible names

○The page contains a heading, skip link, or landmark region

○`<dl>`'s contain only properly-ordered `<dt>` and `<dd>` groups, `<script>`, `<template>` or `<div>` elements.

○Definition list items are wrapped in `<dl>` elements

○ARIA IDs are unique

○No form fields have multiple labels

○`<html>` element has an `[xml:lang]` attribute with the same base language as the `[lang]` attribute.

○Input buttons have discernible text.

○`<input type="image">` elements have `[alt]` text

○Links are distinguishable without relying on color.

○The document does not use `<meta http-equiv="refresh">`

○`<object>` elements have alternate text

○Select elements have associated label elements.

○Skip links are focusable.

○Cells in a `<table>` element that use the `[headers]` attribute refer to table cells within the same table.

○`<th>` elements and elements with `[role="columnheader"/"rowheader"]` have data cells they describe.

○`[lang]` attributes have a valid value

○`<video>` elements contain a `<track>` element with `[kind="captions"]`

○Tables have different content in the summary attribute and `<caption>`.

○All heading elements contain content.

○Uses ARIA roles only on compatible elements

○Image elements do not have `[alt]` attributes that are redundant text.

○Identical links have the same purpose.

○Elements with visible text labels have matching accessible names.

○Tables use `<caption>` instead of cells with the `[colspan]` attribute to indicate a caption.

○`<td>` elements in a large `<table>` have one or more table headers.

All checks on this page are automated. Results are estimates - run targeted manual reviews when the score affects a release decision.