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The Access & Widening Participation Student Ambassador Scheme is a chance for UCL students to take part in the Widening Participation activities we run.
What does the UCL Access and Widening Participation Office do?
UCL's Access and Widening Participation Office (AWPO) organises events and activities for young people from backgrounds that are underrepresented at university. We work with students from non-selective state schools and lower-income families. We also work with teachers, parents, and other supporters, and with specialist groups such as disabled students, care-experienced, estranged students, black students, mature students, and forced migrants.
What do AWPO Student Ambassadors do?
Our AWPO Student Ambassadors help deliver our activities aimed at increasing the access and participation of underrepresented groups in higher education and giving greater insight into UCL's degree programmes and student life.
These activities can include mentoring, tutoring, being part of a student panel, talking to young people about UCL and their experience as students, delivering presentations to schools and attending HE fairs.This is a paid role. Please find below further information about the different types of Ambassadors we recruit.
- UCL Horizons
UCL Horizons is an online programme for 500 Year 10 pupils who will follow an alternating weekly programme of self-guided maths activities and study skills activities developed by UCL AWPO. The programme will run from Monday 29 January 2024 through to week commencing Monday 20 May 2024, on an alternating timetable.
Ambassadors’ main responsibilities include messaging pupils to encourage programme participation, checking assignment completion and providing feedback on study skills work. Maths knowledge and expertise is not required as SAs are mentors, not tutors. However, SAs should be ready to express enthusiasm for maths in order to encourage participation in this subject.
If you are selected as an Ambassador on this programme, you will need to attend a 3 hour paid training session in January 2024.
- UCL Scholars
UCL Scholars is an online project supporting literacy in Year 9 pupils. Student Ambassadors will lead group work at live virtual events as well as acting as online mentors. Student Ambassadors must be able to commit to 1 hour per week of online mentoring for 24 weeks from Monday 29 January until week commencing 22 July 2024, plus be available to work at six online events taking place across the school holidays in February half-term, Easter school holidays (March/April) and May/June half-term 2024.
Ambassadors on this programme should have an enthusiasm for developing young peoples' reading, writing, speaking and listening skills.UCL Scholars is a long-term online project supporting literacy in 100 Year 9 pupils and consists of live, online events as well as online mentoring. Ambassadors will provide 1 hour of mentoring per week, giving feedback to young people on their work. They will also be expected to attend 3 sets of two-day virtual events, leading work with groups of around ten Year 9 pupils.
If you are selected as an Ambassador on this programme, you will need to attend a 3 hour paid training session in January 2024.
- UCL Expand
UCL Expand is a programme aimed at Year 12 students. Participants choose a subject strand relating to their interests. The strands are:
- Creativity and Imagination
- Societies and Cultures
- Life and Health Sciences
- Technologies and the Physical World
The programme will consist of five weeks of online academic session delivery, sandwiched between two in-person events on the UCL Bloomsbury Campus. Expand Taster Presenters will be responsible for creating and delivering 4 out of the 5 weeks of online sessions, as well as an in-person topic introductory session, and hosting an in-person project/poster presentation session at the end of the programme.
Applications are currently closed for this year.
- UCL Sutton Trust Summer School 2024
The UCL Access and Widening Participation Team are recruiting Student Leaders to work on the UCL Sutton Trust Summer School. The Summer School is designed for Year 12* students currently attending non-selective state schools/colleges from all round the UK and aim to give them a taste of university life and studying at UCL.
Student leaders will be supporting the Access and Widening Participation team with running the Summer School, supervising and leading a small group of participants on a subject closely aligned with their degree.
The Summer School is fully residential, and Student Leaders will be required to stay in university halls with staff and participants. You will have your own room with ensuite bathroom, and breakfast, lunch and dinner will be provided. For more information, please see our UCL Sutton Trust Summer School website.Participants will stay in university accommodation, and will be attending a mixture of lectures, seminars and project work. Student Leaders will be supporting and supervising participants by ensuring participants attend all academic and social activities on time, that they are happy and safe during their stay at UCL, and they maintain the desired behavioural standards throughout the Summer School.
Academic staff and PhD students will plan and create taught sessions for each day, and Student Leaders will be required to assist in delivery of these sessions. Student Leaders will also be required to academically support participants during sessions, day field trips and self-directed study periods.
Student Leaders will be managed and supported by the Access Team and Senior Student Leaders, Students Leaders should have a degree of initiative and self-direction, and must have the ability to communicate well with other Summer School colleagues.
For more information, please see our UCL Sutton Trust Summer School website.
Applications are currently closed for this year.
* Year 13 in Northern Ireland or S5 in Scotland
- Standard AWPO Ambassador
Standard AWPO ambassadors support our school visits and campus visits by talking about their experiences to young people, delivering presentation and attending Higher Education fairs.
School visits
As part of our commitment to work with schools in order to widen access to UCL, we have put together a holistic offering for school events, visits, and talks, these events will be supported by student ambassadors. More information can be found at School Visits Year 12 and 13.
Campus visits
For students in Years 12 and 13, we offer school groups the opportunity to book a UCL campus visit, which student ambassadors will be leading. More information can be found at Campus Visits Year 12.
Applications are currently closed for this year.
How can I apply?
Applications are currently closed for this year.
Staff guidance for booking UCL AWPO Student Ambassadors
If you are a member of UCL staff and need Student Ambassadors to support a widening participation activity for UK state school students, teachers or families, please visit our department sharepoint site for guidance on this.
What are the other Student Ambassador Schemes at UCL?
In addition to the Access & Widening Participation Student Ambassador Scheme there are several other student ambassador schemes being run at UCL. Some of these are paid roles, others are volunteering opportunities. Feel free to enquire within your faculty to find out if they run their own Student Ambassador Scheme.
Please find below some other Student Ambassador schemes, you can contact the relevant team to find out more.