What will the Nottingham Summer School do for me?
It will provide you with first-hand experience of university – both campus life and academic courses. This experience will help you make important decisions about your higher education options and build the skills you need to follow your chosen route. After you have attended, you will receive ongoing advice and guidance throughout year 13 via Sutton Trust Online and our UCAS support programme. This will include personal statement reviews, mock interviews for clinical courses, finance and accommodation talks and more. You will be able to use Sutton Trust Online Chat to keep in contact with the Ambassadors and staff and get answers to all of your questions this important time.
Upon completion of the summer school, you will be eligible for an enhanced contextual offer if you apply to Nottingham. This could be worth up to two grades lower than the standard offer for most courses (please see further details in the Contextual Offer FAQ below).
You could also earn £1,000 a year (per year of study) if you complete the summer school and enrol as an undergraduate at the University. (Please note: this applies to students who qualify as "Home" for fees purposes only). This is in addition to any other financial support you might be entitled to.
What will I do on the Nottingham Summer School?
You will stay in a hall of residence on the University Park Campus and enjoy meals in the hall dining room or other student cafes on campus. You will attend four mornings of academic sessions delivered by leading researchers and lecturers related to your chosen subject stream.
In the afternoons, you will benefit from a range of skills development and social activities, including: personal statements, higher education finance, additional admissions tests, careers, leadership and sports activities and more. You will also complete a group work project with some of your fellow participants.
The evening social activities will provide you with a variety of opportunities to get to know the ambassadors and other participants, while exploring more of the university experience and developing further skills. The week finishes with the Celebration Evening – the perfect end to a week you won’t forget!
Will the Nottingham Summer School be residential or delivered online?
The Nottingham Summer School is a residential experience where participants can explore the campus and experience student life for themselves. We are only able to accept students onto the programme on a fully residential basis.
What do I have to do to get a place on a summer school?
You have to be studying in Year 12, going into Year 13, and attending a state-maintained school/college. Places are limited and selection is based on a number of school and personal criteria.
Applications are made online through the Sutton Trust. Applications for our 2025 Summer School are now closed and we cannot accept any late applications.
Can I apply to more than one summer school?
All Nottingham Summer Schools are run in collaboration with the Sutton Trust and go through their application system. This means you can only apply for one summer school at Nottingham or any other university on the Sutton Trust system.
We would advise that you select a summer school course (university and subject) you are seriously considering for UCAS and which offers the additional benefits (contextual offer/bursary) that might help you most. You should also tick on your application that you would consider other summer school courses, as then you will then be eligible to receive a place on a related strand if your first choice is full.
If you are already on a Sutton Trust Pathways scheme or US Summer School, you will be unable to apply for the Nottingham Summer School.
How much will it cost?
Nothing. The Nottingham Summer Schools are free and travel costs will be reimbursed. You can actually gain money as there is also a £1,000 a year bursary available to all who successfully complete the programme and then study with us!
What will the Student Ambassadors be like?
They are all
current students at the University, so they fully understand the kinds of choices you are now facing. They can tell you about why they decided to go to university and their graduation plans, as well as answer all your university and UCAS questions. Many of the Ambassadors actually attended the Nottingham Summer School themselves, so can empathise with how you might be feeling.
Will I get a contextual offer if I do the Nottingham Summer School?
If you complete the Nottingham Summer School, you will be flagged for an enhanced contextual offer if you apply to the University of Nottingham. This means that you could receive an offer two grades lower than the standard offer for the majority of courses at Nottingham. Foundation courses are exempt from this scheme. Medicine will make an offer one grade below the standard offer. Please contact the Summer School Team with any specific queries about contextual offers.
You must have Home UK fee status at the time of your UCAS application to be made a contextual offer. The application of contextual offers to non A-level qualifications varies from course to course.
What is Sutton Trust Online?
Sutton Trust online is a digital platform which all Nottingham Summer School participants will have access to before the residential and during Year 13. The platform provides a comprehensive support package to assist participants in making decisions about university and succeeding in the UCAS process. It includes an online personal statement builder, a bank of academic talks representing a huge range of courses at different universities, support materials for additional admissions tests and interviews, and more. Plus, it includes the popular TAP messaging service, where participants can check out current student profiles from the Sutton Trust universities and message them with questions.