2025

Year 12 Residential Summer Schools

Applications for our 2025 summer school programme are now open.

Each of our summer schools is a two-night residential course, with all food and accommodation included free of cost to participants. Travel bursaries will also be available.

You are able to choose from the following three subject streams:
 

Physical Natural Sciences (Monday 30th June – Wednesday 2nd July)

Most Cambridge first-year Natural Sciences (Physical) students are taking the physics and/or chemistry options – they know more-or-less what to expect at university because they attained qualifications in those sciences in the last few years of school. A ‘true’ natural scientist may be more interested in, or might at least wish to gain proficiency in, other areas like materials science and earth sciences.

How can you get hands-on experience in other branches of the physical sciences when there’s no school qualification? Come and attend this summer school: there’ll be demonstration lectures in these areas of science, as well as in the mathematics that underpins the natural sciences, and plenty of opportunity to find out about university-level physics and chemistry as well.
 

Languages and Cultures (Wednesday 2nd July – Friday 4th July)

Please note that you do not need to be taking an A-level language in order to apply for this course.

Are you interested in film, literature, history, or language? Would you like to explore these themes across different contexts and gain insights into other cultures along the way? If so, then please apply to join us at our Languages and Cultures summer school.

There are a number of different options at Cambridge for studying one or more modern languages while pursuing interests in different aspects of the humanities: we offer degrees in Modern and Medieval Languages, History and Modern Languages, Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, and Linguistics to name a few. For some of these pathways, no prior experience of formal language study is required. The aim of this residential is to give you the chance, whether you have studied languages before or not, to explore these different options through a series of taster sessions delivered by academic experts. You’ll have the chance to read texts, watch films, solve linguistic puzzles, find out about unfamiliar historical periods, and think about the politics and mechanics of translation. Fluency in foreign languages and an understanding of foreign cultures, as well as analytical and research skills, are all in great demand on the job market, so why not come and see what doors might open for you?
 

Unearthing the Past (Tuesday 8th July - Thursday 10th July)

Do you love both history and science? Are you curious about how people lived thousands of years ago? Do you want to learn how we can piece together clues from the past? This summer school might be just the thing for you.

Run in association with Newnham College and colleagues from the Department of Archaeology and the Cambridge Archaeological Unit, this summer school at Selwyn will introduce you to the possibilities that an Archaeology degree can open up for your university studies and future career. If you’re interested in human evolution and biology, ancient cultures and languages, or how heritage affects identity and politics today, you’ll find something of interest. There’ll be the chance to get hands-on with artefacts as well as listening to lectures, visiting an archaeological unit, and exploring museums. You’ll meet lecturers in Archaeology and Biological Anthropology and will hear from the Director of the Cambridge Archaeological Unit, who is himself a graduate of Selwyn. Whether or not you’ve thought about an Archaeology degree before and whichever A-level subjects you’re taking, if you’d like to explore themes and methods at the intersection of history and science and to gain some valuable new experiences then please do apply to join us.
 

Please note our summer schools are open to UK maintained (state) school students who are currently in Year 12 (Y13 NI / S5 Scotland) only. We are particularly keen to receive applications from students who:

• are likely to be predicted A*AA or above at A-Level (or equivalent qualifications)
• are currently, or have previously been, in care
• have caring responsibilities
• are currently, or have previously been, in receipt of Free School Meals
• are an asylum seeker or have refugee status
• are from any ethnic or regional background that is underrepresented at the University of Cambridge
• live in an IMD decile 1–4 postcode (check your postcode)
• live in a POLAR4 quintile 1 or 2 postcode (check your postcode)
• would be the first generation in their immediate family to attend university
• have a disability, impairment, medical condition, or specific learning difficulty
• attend a school or college in Selwyn’s link areas, East Berkshire and West Yorkshire

How to apply

You can apply for any of the three summer schools using this form.

As part of the application process, we will need some personal information, a short statement of why you are a good candidate (no more than 1,200 characters), and details of all school qualifications achieved and currently being taken. You will also need to be able to supply the name and email address for a teacher at your current school who can verify the information you have given and support your application.

Applications close on Wednesday 30th April at 17:00. We will be in contact with all applicants, whether successful or otherwise, in the week beginning Monday 19th May.

If you have any questions regarding the summer schools or your eligibility, or require the application form in another format, please email schools-liaison@sel.cam.ac.uk.