In collaboration with Reaching Wider

USW Summer School

USW Summer School 2026 (co-funded by Reaching Wider South East Wales) will take place between 20 – 24 July, hosted across multiple locations offering a week of discovery, inspiration and hands on learning across the USW portfolio for students from underrepresented groups.

Summer School 2026

Get involved

We are now welcoming Expressions of Interest for this exciting week of enrichment, growth, and connection.

Pathways

The programme for this year's Summer School is built around a range of themed pathways. Each pathway follows a structured journey across the week, helping you build your knowledge, develop new skills, and experience what it's like to study at university.

Two Accounting students working together at computer

Business and Law

Take an idea from concept to reality as you explore how to build and sustain a successful business. Step into the roles of entrepreneur, legal advisor, and financial decision-maker while developing and refining your approach through sessions in Business, Accounting and Finance, and Law. Using specialist facilities like the Hydra Suite, you’ll experience the fast-paced world of strategy, negotiation, and decision-making.

Visual Effects students working at computers

Creative

Bring an original idea to life by collaboratively creating your own quiz show, from concept to final production. Explore storytelling, branding, performance, and technical production through sessions in music, marketing, animation, fashion, and media production, with industry input from Screen Alliance Wales to see how creative ideas become audience-ready content.

Two policing lecturers sat discussing in front of the screens in the hydra simulation centre on glyntaff campus

Crime and Justice

Explore the different ways we investigate and respond to crime through subjects including Forensics, Criminology, Policing, Psychology and Law. Through interactive sessions and activities, including decision-making exercises in the Hydra Suite, you’ll discover how these disciplines work together within the wider justice system while exploring the unique role each one plays.

ODP students racticing how to find veins on a activity dummy.

Health

Follow the journey of the healthcare system and the human body as you explore how professionals work together to deliver effective care. Through sessions in Biological Sciences, Nursing, Midwifery, Operating Department Practice, and Chiropractic, you’ll gain insight into the science, decision-making, and teamwork that support individuals at every stage of their healthcare journey.

A lecturer is talking to a group of students sat around a table in the primary teaching classroom at the USW Newport campus.

Education

Explore the impact careers in education, counselling, and social support can have on individuals and communities. Through real-world scenarios and sessions in Teaching, Counselling, Social Work, and Working with Children and Families, you’ll develop an understanding of the challenges people face and how professionals collaborate to create positive change, including through interactive group work in the Hydra Suite.

A white humanised robot is looking at the camera. It is stood in front of a row of organised cables.

Engineering

Be part of the journey behind Calon, a state-of-the-art STEM facility at USW. Across the week, you’ll explore what it takes to design, plan, and deliver a major development of this scale. With sessions in Engineering, Built Environment, Computing, and Computer Science, including emerging areas such as AI, and input from industry partners, you’ll discover how innovation, technology, and collaboration shape the world around us.

Participants are invited to dive into 5 days of interactive academic sessions, well-being workshops, and general support with information, advice and guidance to help explore new ideas, skills and pathways. With a broad range of subject areas to choose from, participants can build their own schedule from activities delivered across all our campuses and provision, getting the most out of our state-of-the-art facilities and expert-led sessions.

The Summer School will be advantageous to students in completing their UCAS application forms and will help set them apart from other students by demonstrating a commitment to extra-curricular study.
The Summer School will enable students to have an immersive experience of a subject of their interest at University-level and will compliment their Level 3 studies, thereby supporting transition to Year 13 and Level 3 (Year 2).
The Summer School will provide students with invaluable, personalised HE information, advice and guidance including advice on the UCAS process, developing an excellent personal statement, preparing for interviews and researching universities and courses.
As part of the Summer School, students will be able to interact with current USW students via a series of fun activities and ask them questions on everything from student life to student finance. Students will also have the opportunity to meet and engage with other attendees from schools and colleges across the UK.
Following the Summer School, we’ll be able to connect students with the University’s support services, such as the Disability and Wellbeing Service, Learner Services, Accommodation and many more.

The programme will include:

A choice of taster lectures, workshop and practical sessions in specific subject areas
HE information and guidance through a number of talks and or activities within finance, budgeting, student life
A chance to explore our campuses and the surrounding areas
Social activities throughout the event to meet like minded individuals from other schools and colleges
Support in decision making for a University course

Following the Summer School students will have the chance to engage with a series of online HE information, advice and guidance workshops to support them at key stages of the UCAS admissions process. They will also have access to one to one support from a member of the Student Recruitment Team.

’Places at the Summer School are limited and priority will be given to Year 12 and Level 3 (Year 1) school and college students from groups currently under-represented in higher education who meet one of the eligibility criteria detailed below as per the University’s 2024-25 Fee and Access Plan.

Students from Low Participation Neighbourhoods (defined as POLAR4 Quintiles 1 and 2 by OfS).

Check postcode here.

Students from an area of high deprivation (Welsh Index of Multiple Deprivation, WIMD, Quintiles 1 and 2).

Check postcode here.

Students from an area of high deprivation (Index of Multiple Deprivation, IMD, Quintiles 1 and 2).

Check postcode here.

Students from Black and Ethnic Minority backgrounds
Care experienced young people and those in local authority care
Students classified as having a disability
Young carers
Students who have a parent/carer who has served in the armed forces
First in your immediate family to go to university

Please contact us if you have a query regarding eligibility.

Participate in Summer School 2026 and enhance your university application for 2027 entry. Complete a minimum of 10 hours* of Summer School activities through on-campus workshops and online sessions to upgrade your conditional offer to be ‘Unconditional’, subject to meeting the eligibility criteria. Terms and Conditions apply.

*subject to verification.

Places are limited and priority will be given to those from groups who are currently under-represented in higher education, who meet the eligibility criteria as per the University’s 2025-26 Fee and Access Plan. There is no charge to attend Summer School, meals are included, and we can support with the cost of transport to attend. The Summer School is a daytime only event. Requests for support with accommodation to enable participation will be considered on a case-by-case basis.