Frequently Asked Questions
We have compiled answers to common questions about the UK Summer Schools. We strongly recommend you read this section before contacting us about your query. We have split this page into key areas to help you find the answers to your questions. If you can’t find the answer to your question below, please e-mail applications@suttontrust.com.
Please use the filters below to narrow down your search
You will be staying in university accommodation to get the full university experience.
The accommodation will vary depending on which university you apply so double check with them if you want to know more.
Applications open on Monday 9th January 2017 and close at 5pm GMT on Thursday 2nd March 2017. Late applications will not be accepted.
Teachers must verify applications by 5pm GMT on Thursday 9th March 2017.
You can apply, but you should be aware that our UK Summer Schools are heavily oversubscribed – we usually receive more than five times as many applications as there are places available. If you do not meet the academic criteria of 5 A/A* grades at GCSE, or 5 A/B grades at National 5 in Scotland, it is unlikely your application will be successful.
If you do not meet the academic criteria but there are extenuating circumstances to explain this, please ask your teacher to provide details when they verify your application.
Our database contains details of all state-funded schools and colleges in the UK and is up to date as of November 2016. If you attend a state school which is not listed on the application system, or which has recently changed name, please e-mail applications@suttontrust.com with the full name and address of your school so we can investigate further and add it to the database.
If you attend a private/independent (fee-paying) school, you are not eligible for the programme. To check whether your school is independent, please visit www.schoolguide.co.uk. If your school is listed as ‘Independent’, it is not eligible.
Your application will be reviewed by the university you applied to and they will be in contact by Friday 5th May 2017. Please don’t contact us or the university to ask about a decision until Tuesday 9th May 2017 at the earliest.
In the meantime, please make a note of the dates of the Summer School you have applied for to ensure you are available to attend if you are selected.
If you are not the appropriate member of staff to complete a student’s reference, please e-mail applications@suttontrust.com with the full name, contact e-mail address and telephone number of the appropriate teacher at your school.
We are interested in (1) your school’s performance average point score at A-Levels or Highers, (2) the proportion of pupils in your school who go on to higher education, and (3) the number of pupils who receive free school meals in your school.
Generally speaking, if your school is below the national average in two or more of these, we will consider your school to meet this criterion. You can look at your school’s performance at www.schoolguide.co.uk, though the information here should be used as a guide as it may not be consistent with our data. If your school doesn’t meet this criterion it doesn’t mean your application will not be successful – it’s one of our eligibility criteria, and the more of them you meet the more likely your application is to be accepted.
We mainly use POLAR data from HEFCE to identify areas of low progression to higher education. The POLAR classification looks at how likely young people are to participate in higher education across the UK and shows how this varies by area. It does this by allocating local areas (wards) into five groups (quintiles), based on the proportion of 18-year-olds who enter higher education aged 18 or 19 years old.
These groups range from quintile 1 areas, with the lowest young participation rates (most disadvantaged), up to quintile 5 areas with the highest young participation rates (most advantaged).
You can use your postcode to find out which quintile you live in on the HEFCE website: //www.hefce.ac.uk/postcode/
We are most interested in applicants who live in POLAR3 young participation quintiles 1 or 2, though if you live in an area that’s in quintiles 3, 4 or 5 that doesn’t mean your application will not be successful – it’s one of our eligibility criteria, and the more of them you meet the more likely your application is to be accepted.
Teachers with verified accounts can see details of students from their school who have applied by logging in at www.apply.suttontrust.com/uk-summer-2017.
The teacher you nominate on your application form will receive an e-mail asking them to verify and support your application. This must be completed by 5pm on Thursday 9th March 2017.
Please e-mail applications@suttontrust.com and outline the error in as much detail as possible.
This information is listed in the e-mail confirmation you will receive once you submit your application, or you can view your application online by logging in to www.apply.suttontrust.com/uk-summer-2017 and selecting ‘My applications’ from the menu at the top of the page.
No. The Sutton Trust Summer Schools run for approximately five days and you are expected to attend the full duration of the programme. If you cannot attend the full programme, please do not apply.
If your application is successful, you will be contacted by the university with further details on travel arrangements.
Do I get any support with fees from the Sutton Trust if I go to university following this programme?
The Sutton Trust is not a grant / scholarship making charity. We cannot financially support our students following the Summer Schools or provide education advice, though there are many other sources of financial support available, some of which may be specific to the university you go to and which your university may be able to advise on.
Yes, the cost of travel, accommodation and food is covered by the Sutton Trust and our partner universities.
All of the universities we work with are top institutions so no one university is better than another. Our programmes are designed to help you find a university and course that is best for you. In 2016, we received over 10,000 applications for just over 2,000 places so our Summer Schools are very oversubscribed. We recommend that you read our eligibility criteria – you will find the more criteria you meet the more likely you are to secure a place on our programme.
There is space on the UCAS form for you to specify if you have attended a Sutton Trust UK Summer School or any other university access programme. Some universities will give preference or reduced offers to students who have attended summer schools, however this is not the case for all universities. We also stress that this should not be a determining factor for you to attend a Sutton Trust UK Summer School. Your motivation for attending should be aligned to the aims and objectives of the programme.
Please e-mail applications@suttontrust.com with your name and application number and we’ll withdraw your application.
You can request a new password by visiting www.apply.suttontrust.com/uk-summer-2017, selecting ‘Log in’ and then ‘Request new password’. If you have forgotten which e-mail address you used for your application, please e-mail applications@suttontrust.com.
When you submit your application you will see a ‘thank you’ page confirming that your application has been received. This will include your application number, which you should keep a note of. You will also get an e-mail notification shortly after you have submitted your application. This can sometimes be filtered to your junk folder or marked as ‘spam’ so please check this before contacting us.
You can see the status of your application at any time by logging in to your account at www.apply.suttontrust.com/uk-summer-2017 and selecting ‘My applications’ from the menu at the top of the page.
Please e-mail applications@suttontrust.com with your application number, and the correct name, e-mail address and telephone number for your teacher.
Please carefully complete the application form and check you have completed it accurately before submitting. Intentionally incorrect information on your application will invalidate it.
If you realise that you have made an error after you have submitted your application, please e-mail applications@suttontrust.com with your application number and details of the error.
Most universities will allow students to apply as long as they can secure funding for the full duration of their course through Student Finance. Please contact the university you are interested in applying to before submitting your application. You can find contact details on the partner university pages.
Yes, but please e-mail applications@suttontrust.com to inform us of your individual circumstances so we can provide extra guidance on completing the application form.
Our UK Summer Schools are only open to students who have never attended a fee-paying school.
Our UK Summer Schools are only open to students who attend state-funded (non-fee-paying) schools or colleges
Please e-mail applications@suttontrust.com with details of your individual circumstances so we can provide extra guidance.
Our UK Summer Schools are only open to students who attend state-funded (non-fee-paying) schools or colleges.
Our UK Summer Schools are only open to students who attend state-funded (non-fee-paying) schools or colleges.
We would like to know whether you currently receive, or have received free school meals while at secondary school. If either of these is true please tick the box on the application form.
Please e-mail applications@suttontrust.com with details of your individual circumstances so we can provide guidance on completing the form.
Yes. There is a section on the application form where you can list the country, type of course / qualification obtained and their age at the point of graduation.
Yes. There is a section on the application form where you can list the country, type of course / qualification obtained and their age at the point of graduation.
Please provide details for the parent(s) / guardian(s) you live with and who financially support you.
No, you can apply to and attend only one UK Summer School. This is to make sure as many students as possible benefit from the programme. Any duplicate applications will be deleted.
If you have already secured a place on one of our Pathways programmes or our US Programme, you won’t get a place on a UK Summer School as well.
You cannot make changes to your application once it’s been submitted. If there are any circumstances in which you want to change your course choice, please email your application number and reasons for the change to applications@suttontrust.com.
Some universities will allow students who are studying in Year 12 (in England or Wales), Year 13 (in Northern Ireland) or S5 (in Scotland) to apply if they are aged 18 or over. Please contact the university you would like to apply to to check if this is possible. Contact details can be found on the individual university partner pages.
Yes, you can apply if you are in Year 13 / lower sixth at a state school or college in Northern Ireland.
You must be studying in Year 12 (in England or Wales), Year 13 (in Northern Ireland), or S5 (in Scotland) for your application to be considered.
The UK Summer Schools are for highly able state school or college (non-fee-paying) students only. Applications from students studying at private/independent (fee-paying) schools will not be considered, even if you receive a scholarship or bursary in to cover the fees. Some universities will show flexibility if you are currently in or have been in care.
If you are unsure whether your school is eligible, please visit www.schoolguide.co.uk to check. If your school is listed as ‘Independent’, it is not eligible.