The Sutton Trust-run programme targets young people from low and middle-income backgrounds, offering placements across 10 UK universities.
Summer schools offer the students, who are typically 17-year-olds, a chance to get a taste of student life at a research-led university and helps them to make strong applications to higher education.
The residentials include “busy” academic days as well as social activities and this year the programme is also developing a series of extension activities, including follow-up e-mentoring support, help with UCAS personal statements, and summer schools for teachers.
A new addition this year will be 50 places at the Royal Veterinary College. The successful applicants will benefit from a week-long residential course with all expenses covered.
An academic programme will focus on bioveterinary sciences, veterinary medicine and veterinary nursing, taught entirely by full-time academic staff.
Summer schools this year will also take place at Bristol, Cambridge, Durham, Edinburgh, Imperial, King’s College London, Nottingham, St Andrews, and University College London.
The summer school programme is now in its 17th year and an additional 200 places have been created for 2014 after funding worth £750,000 was donated by Barclays.
The programme is also backed by the Wolfson Foundation, which co-sponsors summer schools at University College London and Durham and supports the e-mentoring initiative and teacher summer schools.
The Garfield Weston Foundation supports summer school students in Wales, Northern Ireland and the North East of England.
The Sutton Trust is a foundation set up in 1997 dedicated to improving social mobility through education. Young people interested in applying to the summer schools, should visit www.suttontrust.com/students/uk-summer-schools/