Here, you will find a combination of virtual and in-person opportunities from the University and College Sectors. We ask students and their parents to research fully any opportunities advertised on the noticeboard to ensure they are happy with the organisation they are linking with and its value for money if there is a cost.
Notices & Key Dates
2026 application timeline (UCAS website)
2027 application Timeline (UCAS website)
Clearing – from 2 July – 19 October 2026
- Find out more about the clearing process from the UCAS website
Find an Open Day – Open days are an important way to learn about how a subject is taught and what you will study, from course tutors. Our advice is to prioritise course talks over general talks. If time/money are a constraint you can learn a lot from visiting local universities. If you are on the Sixth Form bursary, you can request that school helps with the costs, please talk to Mr Brown or Lucy.
NOW OPEN! – Student Finance Applications. We recommend that students make their student finance application as early as possible. They should avoid waiting until they get their exam results. Students should apply for student finance based on their first-choice (Firm). They can easily change this before their studies start. The most important thing is to get the application in!
- Applications Open – Aspiring Professionals Programme
Applications are open to Year 12 students for the 2027 Aspiring Professionals Programme cohort! Offering in-person and virtual presentations to schools, starting the week of the 21st September through late November. Find out more by visiting the Aspiring Professionals Programme website. Closing date: Friday 11th December at 12pm.
- Aim for Oxford: Applications Now Open – this programme is a flagship sustained contact programme – working with 90 students each year, providing a series of academic taster sessions, information, advice, and guidance sessions, and a free residential in the summer at either St Anne’s or Christ Church Colleges. Closing Date is Saturday 31st October at 5pm.
Oxbridge Focus
UCAS deadline on 15 October
Applications to the universities of Oxford and Cambridge, and for most courses in medicine, dentistry, and veterinary medicine/science
Featured New Courses
New Business course for 2027 entry
The University of Leeds is introducing a new Undergraduate Business course for 2027 entry:
BSc Business and Intelligent Technologies
Entry requirements: AAB including Mathematics
A future-focussed degree that blends business and technological insights, preparing you to lead, innovate and manage in a rapidly evolving digital world.
This one-of-a-kind programme is taught in English from the heart of Paris.
Our BA in International Politics, with or without a French option, focuses on the practical aspects of international politics in contemporary society while giving you a unique chance to live and study in the French capital, allowing you to gain invaluable international experience and graduate with a renowned University of London degree.
Join us in powering the next generation of space innovation.
Our new BEng Aerospace Satellite Engineering course has been developed by world-leading academics and industry partners to equip graduates with the key skills required to work and thrive within the rapidly growing space sector.
Students will have the opportunity to build comprehensive technical and transferable skills, utilising our state-of-the-art labs. You will also become part of our North East Skills and Technology Centre (NESST), a £50 million investment with partners including the UK Space Agency and industry prime Lockheed Martin UK Space.
Undergraduate Study – Duration 4 Years
Drawing on the expertise of leading academics and researchers in the field, you will explore the origins and present-day contexts of societal conflicts about power, participation, and resources.
Undergraduate Study – Duration 3 Years
Special and Inclusive Education prepares you to be a forward-thinking professional, with expertise in creating equitable learning pathways and opportunities for diverse learning profiles, including special and additional educational needs.
Latest Opportunities
English Literature
Webinar (16+)
English Literature – Gothic Literature, Wednesday 8th October – 12:45pm – 1;45pm
- Manchester Metropolitan University: Dr Matthew Foley, Senior Lecturer and Programme Leader for BA English, will present Monstrous Sensations: Close Reading Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein.
- University of East Anglia: We will be joined by Dr Jacob Huntley, Lecturer in the School of Literature, Drama and Creative Writing.
Manchester Metropolitan University & University of East Anglia will each have roughly 30 minutes to deliver a punchy, interactive topic based ‘micro’ talk. Within an overall session theme of Gothic Literature, the universities have the freedom to choose their own focus and use the time to convey the key points of the case studies for the students.
Politics
Webinar (16+)
Prevent What? Contemporary Issues in Terrorism and Counter-radicalization
Thursday 8th October – 10.10am – 10.55am
Recent cases of mass violence and public protest raise questions about the definitions we have for terrorism in the UK.
This session will consider some areas of controversy such as the classification of the Southport killings, and the Palestine Action protests and prosecutions. These cases can illustrate both the definitional process, and the policy framing of terrorism to provide reflections on why it continues to be such a difficult phenomenon to cleanly describe.
We will briefly consider the government’s key counter-radicalisation strategy ‘Prevent’ and what it tells us about how competing rationales and lack of conceptual clarity generate new problems in pre-emptive policy responses.
Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
Foundation Year with application support (Yr13)
Widening Support
Foundation Year, Pre-degree course – starts Sept 2027
The Foundation Year in Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences is a stepping stone to study at Cambridge or another excellent university.
If you’ve experienced educational disadvantages, this free course will help you to study successfully at undergraduate level.
Find out more about the course (Cambridge University website)
Foundation Year Applicant Support Programme – 12 October 2026 to 6 January 2027 (Online)
Sessions will feature members of the Foundation Year team alongside students who have experienced the Foundation Year themselves.
Session dates and topics:
- 12 October 2026 – UCAS and Personal Statements
- 11 November 2026 – Supplementary Application Questionnaire (FYSAQ)
- 2 December 2026 – Admissions Help Panel
- 6 January 2027 – Foundation Year Q&A Panel
The sessions will offer practical guidance and opportunities to ask questions throughout the application process.
Film
Webinar (16+)
Film: When the Woman Directs – An Introduction to Female Filmmakers, from Alice Gu Blache to Chloe Zhao
Monday 12th October – 1.30pm – 2.15pm
This session will explore the world of women directors, looking at their foundational presence at the birth of cinema, as with Alice Guy Blache, director of the first fictional narrative film in 1896, right through to their present-day triumphs across a range of international film, like the Chinese-born filmmaker Chloe Zhao’s Best Director Oscar win.
Some of the questions we will address in this session will include: why have women traditionally been outnumbered by men in being directors, and why, despite some improvements, is this still the case? How has the work of women directors been understood by critics and historians, and how have female filmmakers been visually represented, in different time periods and national contexts? Do you think women’s films are different to men’s? How do women directors reflect upon their situation and try to build careers for themselves, in spite of the problems they must often overcome?
Politics
Webinar (16+)
UK Politics: Reviewing the Party Conference Season
Tuesday 13th October – 12.45pm – 1.30pm
Party conference season is the MOT test of British politics: a chance to show the engine is still running, and reveal (or hide?) what’s under the bonnet.
This year’s conferences are especially interesting. Labour arrives in Liverpool under a new driver. Can Burnham turn that fresh, slim poll lead into real PM authority, or is this just a honeymoon? Kemi Badenoch still looks for that breakthrough for the Tories. Suddenly, Farage sees Reform’s momentum stall. Zack Polanski’s Greens seem to be stuck in third gear. Oh yes, the LibDems.
In 45 minutes, we’ll get under the hood: how parties use conference to project unity, control the agenda and pick their fights; what they tell members versus the country; and who’s really winning the battle to define Britain’s next election.
Student Finance
Webinar (16+)
HE Guidance: Student Finance – Supporting Your Young Person – A Parent/Carer Event
Tuesday 13th October – 6pm – 6.45pm
Are you supporting a young person with applying to university, and want to know more about student finance? This webinar is aimed at parents and carers to help you better understand the student finance process and introduce you to some of the support on offer from universities.
We will discuss student loans and repayments, take you through the application process with important dates and deadlines, and provide in insight into some of the scholarships, bursaries, and other financial support available at UEA. This is the opportunity to get your questions answered and gain confidence in supporting your young person.
Economics
Webinar (16+)
Behavioural Economics: What Video Games Teach Us About Behavioural Economics
Tuesday 22nd October – 2pm – 2.45pm
What can video games teach us about rational economic decision making?
In this talk, Sheheryar uses familiar games and surprising experiments to explore how people actually make choices. You’ll discover how bounded rationality, rules of thumb and social norms can influence behaviour.
We’ll also consider how incentives and the behaviour of other players help make games engaging.
These ideas reach well beyond the screen: they can help us understand consumer behaviour, everyday choices and why people deviate from classic model predictions.
Economics
Webinar 16+
Development Economics: Why Some Nations are Trapped in Poverty – Thursday 5th November, 12:20pm – 1:05pm
Your life is heavily affected by where and when you were born. Babies born in the UK have a life expectancy of over 80, in Nigeria that number is 54.5. Differences in income are even larger; the average citizen in Burundi has an income of less than $100 a month; the average Irish citizen earns more than 100 times that.
In this session, we’ll think about where these differences come from, whether they are fixed, and if inequality is growing. Along the way we’ll touch on the nature of less-developed countries, barriers to growth and development, and any policy choices open to governments around the world.
Medicine
Online Lecture (15+)
Mini Medical School 2026 – Various Dates, Thursday 5th November to Thursday 10th December, 5pm – 6pm
Open to anyone aged 15+, this free online lecture series offers a unique opportunity to hear directly from Newcastle University experts about the latest advances in health and medicine.
- Thursday 5th November – Paediatric Research at Newcastle
- Thursday 12th November – Bugs and the Bowel: Gastroenterology
- Thursday 19th November – Research in Surgery
- Thursday 26th November – The Case of the Pregnant Patient with Leukaemia: How Doctors Approach Impossible Decisions
- Thursday 3rd December – Human Movement Science: Measuring Balance to Prevent Falls
- Thursday 10th December – Applying to Medicine
Psychology
Webinar (16+)
Psychology: Experiencing Live Research Design as a Participant Before Following Project Progress & Research Outcomes – Seminar 2
Wednesday 11th November, 11.10am – 12pm
Seminar 2: Research Hypotheses, Identifying Gaps in Our Understanding & Our Methodological Approach
In the research project, we will characterise different elements of social behaviour during this developmental period (late adolescence) and explore how they can be influenced by different factors in our daily lives. We will look at the interplay between individual traits (internal factors) and external environmental factors on shaping social behaviours that are key for our role in society. Further details will be made available to teachers in advance and full details will be revealed to participating students in Session 2, once the research task has been completed.
To find out more and book (Channel Talent Website)
Contact Sixth Form if you need a space to join this webinar.
Hostory
Webinar (16+)
History: Speaking out against a Tyrant – Challenging the Authority of Henry VIII – Monday 16th November, 11.10am – 11:55am
Tudor society was fundamentally hierarchical, and obedience was a powerful concept for contemporaries. So what happened when a monarch acted in ways that were seen by his subjects as problematic?
This session will explore examples of Henry’s subjects speaking out against royal policy, from rude words spoken to neighbours, to printed polemic and propaganda. In doing so, we will explore the limits to royal authority and the extent to which Henry’s subjects might be seen as a threat to his power.
Professional Policing
Webinar (Year 12)
Routes into Professional Policing – Thursday 19th November, 5pm – 6:30pm
Thinking about a future in Policing?
Join us for an informative and inspiring event to discover how a Professional Policing degree can prepare you for a rewarding career.
You’ll gain an in-depth understanding of the Professional Policing degree. This includes course content, learning opportunities, and the wide range of career pathways it can support. This event is an excellent opportunity to hear from our expert academics, all of whom have extensive policing experience. You’ll learn how studying at university can help you:
- Build knowledge, confidence, and professional skills
- Prepare to enter the workplace, by gaining a strong platform for future success.
This session will give you a clear insight into what a Professional Policing degree can offer and how it can support your long-term career goals. It’s ideal whether you’re exploring your options after college or considering a career change.
Linguistics
Webinar (16+)
The History & Politics of Constructed Languages – Thursday 19th November, 11:10pm – 11:55pm
In this Linguistics event, Dr Madeleine Chalmers, Lecturer in Liberal Arts at University of Glasgow, will present The History and Politics of Constructed Languages.
From Esperanto’s dream of world peace to Tolkien’s Elvish and the coded languages of internet subcultures, people have been inventing languages for centuries: for politics, art, machines, or just for fun. This interactive session explores why we build languages from scratch, what constructed languages reveal about how ‘natural’ language works, and what their role is in our digital world.
This event is designed to support Linguistics students in their current studies by offering rich and original insight into key topics they are exploring. Experiencing how a holistic Liberal Arts approach locates their studies in the context of contemporary culture and society, we hope the session may also serve to inspire students around the exciting possibilities offered by the study of Liberal Arts at degree level.
Various
(Yr 12 & 13)
Various Opportunities with the University of Leeds
- Autumn Open Days – Saturday 3 and Saturday 17 October 2026
- Autumn Online Events – Book now to secure your spot at one or more of our online Undergraduate support events. Throughout September and October focussed on helping you navigate starting university.
- Access to Leeds applications opening soon Access to Leeds is our contextual admissions programme for UK undergraduate applicants. It offers additional consideration for applicants based on their personal circumstances.
Think Tank – Public Health – Cutting Edge University Perspectives & Debate – Tuesday 20th October, 4:15pm – 5:15pm
Our panel of academics, representing the University of East Anglia and the University of Greenwich, each have 5 minutes at the beginning of the session to outline the key issues, as they see them, relating to Public Health.
Ahead of the event, we invite students to submit questions and arguments HERE within the overall session theme which, following the introductory inputs from our academics, are then either posed by the student themselves or by the host, depending upon each student’s preference.
The academics will then share their perspectives with plenty of opportunity for students to engage in the discussion. The event will progress in a similar way to ‘Question Time’.
Woven into the discussion, the speakers are encouraged to shed light on how undergraduates engage in these critical issues during their studies.
Creative Writing/Literature: Lies & Parallel Worlds A Creative Writing Workshop – Wednesday 21st October, 4:15pm – 5:15pm
In this Creative Writing event, Dr Colin Herd and Dr Corey Gibson, Senior Lecturers in Literature at University of Glasgow, will lead a workshop entitled Lies & Parallel Worlds.
This workshop explores some big questions about creative writing, imagination, and reality:
- If you could write another history and another future for yourself, for your family, your community, your nation, your planet – what would it be?
- What if every story we tell ourselves is true somewhere, somehow?
- How might we imagine where and when we are, differently?
- Can the world we live in be changed by our fears and our dreams?
Lies have a bad reputation. We’re told we shouldn’t tell them; and we shouldn’t believe them. But they are everywhere! Online, in the news, at school and at work, sometimes even at home, and in the corridors of power. But aren’t our favourite stories also lies, in a way? And don’t we need to imagine something that isn’t yet true, before we can make it true?
This workshop will encourage you to use creative techniques to tackle literature, art, and society through these provocative ideas about ‘lies’ and ‘parallel worlds’.
Various
(Yr 12)
Both UK and international students are invited to the next sessions in our Subject Masterclasses series.
These subject-specific events are designed for students in Year 12 (S5 for Scotland, Year 13 for NI, international grade 10 or 11, or equivalent) and mature students.
High achieving students in Year 10 and Year 11 (and equivalent) interested in exploring subject choices at the university level are also encouraged to participate. However, specific admissions information will be for prospective students applying in 2027 (for 2028 entry).
Both UK and international students are welcome to attend.
Our next Masterclasses:
- 20 October – Environment, Law, and Economics
- 21 October – Asian and Middle Eastern Studies
- 22 October – Linguistics
- 27 October – Economics
- 28 October – History and Modern Languages
- 29 October – Social Anthropology*
*relevant to Archaeology and Human, Social, and Political Sciences.
Tickets for each session cost £15. Funded places are available for eligible students. Visit our website for more details. Early booking deadlines apply.
Find out more and sign up (University of Cambridge website)
Medicine and Health
Virtual Session (Yr 12 & 13)
Medicine and Health Taster Sessions: Various dates
Bangor University’s College of Medicine and Health is delighted to invite you to our upcoming series of free online Taster Sessions – a programme of live lectures designed specifically for students exploring their options ahead of university.
Sessions are available across the following subject areas:
Sport Science, Medicine, Pharmacy, Pharmacology, Nursing, Midwifery, Biomedical Science, Medical Science, Psychology, Health and Social Care
These sessions offer students the chance to:
• Hear directly from Bangor University’s leading researchers and academics
• Get a genuine feel for university-level study in medicine and health
• Ask questions live during dedicated Q&A segments
• Attend from anywhere – no travel required, and no commitment to attend every session
Registration is completely free, and students can sign up for as many or as few sessions as they like. This is a wonderful opportunity for you to deepen your subject knowledge, build confidence, and make more informed decisions about your future studies.
All Subjects
Online Information Sessions (Year 12)
Edinburgh University – Various dates
We run a range of online events that you can access wherever you are in the world.
Our regular ‘Introduction to the University of Edinburgh’ sessions provide an overview of what it’s like to study with us, and the opportunity to ask questions. View the event details and book a session below.
As well as our regular sessions, from time to time we will run online events which are specific to a particular subject area. We will update those on our mailing list when booking opens for relevant events.
Medicine & Dentistry
Advice on Preparing for applications (Year 12)
Medical Schools Council – Preparing to apply
The Medical Schools Council recommend that students start preparing now for dentistry and medicine applications so that they have everything in place for this time next year.
Writing a personal statement for Medical School & Dental School
Competitions
Languages
Poetry Prize
Calling all young translators! Bring creative translation into the classroom this summer with the Stephen Spender Poetry Prize 2026. Translate ANY poem from ANY language, or a Polish poem for the Polish Spotlight. Free entry for all UK and Irish schools, for pupils of all ages!
Cateogries include the Individual Youth Entry (ages 18 and under, and ages 14 and under).
A chance to enter a national competition exploring a key sociological theme, and showcase your creativity and insight.
One winner from each category will receive £100.
This year’s question is ‘How much can individual behaviour do to solve a collective environmental crisis?’
Closing Date: Monday 2nd November, 4pm.
Geography
Essay Competition
Royal Geographical Society’s School Essay Competition
The RGA invites geography students aged 16-18 to consider the 2026 School Essay Competition, organised in partnership with the Financial Times, students are to answer the following question:
What factors drive migration, how are patterns shifting and what are the consequences?
Please include changes resulting from climatic factors and post-2020 geopolitics in your answer.
You can submit your essay at any time before the deadline. Seach FT.com for the latest news to help with your essay.
Closing Date: Monday 9th November, 5pm.
Languages
Poetry Prize
The Edward Thomas Fellowship’s principal aim is to keep the poet’s work widely read and enjoyed. The Fellowship is delighted to be running the competition for the fifth consecutive year.
Win £100 and boost your UCAS from by writing a close reading of Edward Thomas’s poem ‘Roads’
Closing Date: Monday 30th November, 5pm.
Future Voices
Poetry Competition
Future Voices Poetry Competition for 12 – 18 year olds
Open to 12-18 year olds, students can write a poem on any theme and in any style, giving them the chance to explore their ideas, opinions, experiences and interests without the constraints of a set topic.
From current affairs and identity to conservation, relationships or simply something they love, poems can be powerful, personal, lighthearted or completely unexpected – every student has a voice worth sharing.
Closing Date: Thursday 31st December
All Subjects
Essay Competition
The Sidgwick Prize Essay Competition
The Sidgwick Prize, Cambridge is an annual essay competition for high-school aged students from around the world. Each year students can choose to respond to an essay question from a list of three questions in eight disciplines: Philosophy, Politics, Economics, History, Law, Theology, Psychology, and Art History.
Every submission receives substantive feedback from academic specialists, including Faculty at the University of Cambridge.
Closing Date: Wednesday 30th June 2027
Useful Resources/Opportunities
All Subjects
On Demand Webinars
Yrs 12 & 13
UniTasterDays
These impartial videos have one key aim. To support students who are considering university to make informed future subject decisions. They feature guest speakers from a range of different universities, who are always experts in the subject being explored.
Dentistry
Online Resource
Yrs 12 & 13
University of Sheffield
This resource provided from the University of Sheffield gives an insight into the world of dentistry. Resource provided via the Futurelearn portal.
Medical Sciences
Online Lectures
Yrs 12 & 13
UCL
UCL have an online medical sciences lecture series which is free and open to everyone to get inspired.
Natural Sciences
Spotlight
Yrs 12 & 13
Durham University
At Durham, we actively provide our students with opportunities to develop attributes we hope they have by the time they graduate. One way in which we do this is through our excellent multi-subject degree programmes.
Explore our Natural Sciences webpages to discover whether Natural Sciences at Durham could be a good match for your students.