UCL Expand

We are extremely excited to announce that applications are now open for UCL Expand 2025!

UCL Expand 2025 will be a hybrid 8-week subject focused academic programme, created and delivered by UCL postgraduate students and staff. UCL Expand is exclusively for Year 12 students.

Expand your learning beyond the school curriculum, enhance your academic skills and strengthen your personal statement whilst having fun and making new friends. 

UCL Expand is going to offer participants a choice of which subject they'd like to study from a selection curated by our postgraduate Taster Presenters, meaning you'll be able to learn more and produce a project on something you're interested in and excited by. 

UCL Expand Schedule 

Your Guide to UCL Expand

Sessions & Subjects

What and how many sessions are there?

The programme will consist of 8 sessions: 5 weeks of compulsory online academic sessions, 1 week optional session, sandwiched between two in-person events on the UCL Bloomsbury Campus. 

Since we are only able to take a limited number of students, we ask that you only apply if you are able to attend all sessions, so each participant is able to benefit from the full programme. In order to graduate from UCL Expand and receive a certificate, participants must attend at least five out of the seven compulsory sessions.

Can I have a further breakdown of each of the sessions?

During the Welcome Event, you will meet your postgraduate Taster Presenter and Student Ambassadors, take part in a campus tour, a session on choosing your course & university, and a subject introduction session led by your Taster Presenter.

During the online academic sessions, you will learn more about your Taster Presenters’ topic, following a weekly theme of academic skills. The third online session will be dedicated to working on your project, alongside your Student Ambassadors and members of the Access & Widening Participation Office.

The Research and Analysis week will leave you with an understanding of how to investigate a topic, how to distinguish between reputable and unreputable sources of information, and the ability to examine the implications of their research.

The Critical Thinking week will leave you with an understanding of how to analyse sources to form a judgement, the ability to challenge your own assumptions and take multiple perspectives on an issue, and an awareness of the difference between a fact and an opinion.

The Academic Writing week will leave you with an understanding of the formality, objectivity, and precision required to write academically. You will also learn how to communicate your project work in an academic capacity, and how to form conclusions.

The Presentation and Debate week will leave you with an understanding of delivering a clear and persuasive argument, creating a clear presentation structure, and the ability to listen to and answer questions. This session will directly contribute to the presentation of your projects during the in-person Graduation event.

During the Graduation Event, you will celebrate your accomplishments across the programme, and present your final projects. We will also provide you with a session on how to apply your experiences on Expand to your personal statement.

Is there any financial help available for travel to and from UCL campus for the in-person sessions?

We will be judging eligibility for financial assistance for travel on a case-by-case basis.

What subject will I study?

At the stage of application, you'll be given a range of options and we will ask you to specify your preferences. Its not a guarantee you'll get your first choice, but we will try our hardest to make this happen.

We will have subject choices which are STEM related, Arts & Humanities, Social Sciences, and even a mix of both, meaning students interested in studying a vast range of degree programmes at university. We will not have a definitive list until the start of October 2024. 

 

What does the project consist of?

Participants will produce a project which they will present at the UCL Expand Graduation Event. The project will usually be a poster, but participants will have freedom over what they produce, including the subject focus and format. In 2024 we had posters, essays and websites. 

The project is nothing to worry about and shouldn't take much time to produce - the goal of the project is to explore a topic that you find interesting a little bit further, and produce a project which shows this exploration. At the UCL Expand Graduation Event other participants will be able to ask you questions one-to-one about your project, and you will be able to do the same with their projects. 

The project will not be marked, but it is compulsory to submit a project in order to graduate.

Participants will receive full and detailed guidance to support them in producing their project. We will also have sessions and time dedicated to helping participants to start planning and creating their project.

Applying

Am I eligible to apply?

Our programmes are funded by UCL’s Access Agreement and Widening Participation funds. As such, there are eligibility criteria that all applicants should consider before applying, find out more about who we work with here. Since the programme has a limited capacity, applications will be assessed against our targeting criteria.

How do I apply?

Applications for UCL Expand 2025 are open. 
Please note, we do not operate on a first-come-first-served basis. Applications will close 8 December 2024. After which we will shortlist applicants, doing so by assessing the applicants against our targeting criteria. For more information on our targeting criteria, please see our who we work with page. 

I’m unavailable for some of the dates, am I still able to apply?

Since we are only able to take a limited number of students, we ask that you only apply if you are able to attend all sessions, so each participant is able to benefit from the full programme. In order to graduate from UCL Expand and receive a certificate, participants must attend at least five out of the seven compulsory sessions and submit a project.

If you are unable to attend or do not get a place on UCL Expand, we have plenty of other opportunities which are great to get involved in. See our website for more details.

Apply for UCL Expand 2025