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The Discover UCL Summer School is an exciting opportunity exclusively for deaf and hard of hearing students in Years 11 and 12.
About the programme
A unique opportunity to explore university life—designed for you
The Discover UCL Summer School is a free, specialist three‑day programme created exclusively for deaf and hard of hearing students in Years 11 and 12. It’s your chance to experience what university is like, build your confidence, and learn how to take your next steps into higher education—all within a fully accessible, supportive environment.
Due to the high level of personalised support provided throughout the summer school, which includes BSL interpreters and live captioning, only fifteen places are available.
Programme dates:
- Day 1 - Tuesday 28 July (online)
- Day 2 - Wednesday 29 July (on campus at UCL)
- Day 3 - Thursday 30 July (on campus at UCL)
Application deadline: 10am on Tuesday 16 June 2026. Any applications received after this time will not be considered.
Discover UCL is run in collaboration with the UCL Deafness Cognition and Language Research Centre (DCAL) and Deaf Unity.
Applications for Discover 2026 are now open - apply here
What you'll do
Across the three days, you'll take part in sessions designed specifically for deaf and hard of hearing students. These include:
- Understanding your pathway to university - how to choose the right degree, navigating the UCAS process, understanding student finance
- Experiencing life at UCL - a guided tour of the UCL campus, meeting current deaf and hard of hearing students, opportunities to ask questions about student life, access and support
- Building skills and confidence - sessions on communication support and how to advocate for your access needs
- Who can take part?
The Discover UCL Summer School is open to deaf and hard of hearing students currently studying at a UK state school or college who are:
- EITHER currently in Year 11 and likely to achieve at least five GCSEs at grades 9-5; OR
- Currently in Year 12, have achieved at least five GCSEs at grades 9-5 and are likely to achieve a minimum of BBB at A level, at least 34 points at IB or the equivalent grades in other UK qualifications.
In the application form you will be asked to provide the contact details of a teacher at your school or college who we can contact to verify that you meet the eligibility criteria for the programme. Please make sure you have spoken to your teacher about this before applying. For full details of our targeting criteria please see our Who we work with page.
- FAQs
When is the deadline to apply?
Applications will close at 10am on Tuesday 16 June 2026. Any applications received after this time will not be considered.
Where will the in person days take place?
Days 2 and 3 of the programme will take place on UCL's Bloomsbury campus in central London. Successful applicants will be provided with full details of event locations and travel information nearer to the time.
I don't live in London, can UCL help with travel costs?
If you are awarded a place on Discover but the cost of travel would be a barrier to you attending, and you meet the criteria of our travel support fund, we will fund or part fund your travel to and from the UCL campus so that you can take part in the programme. The travel support fund will remain active whilst funds are available. To be eligible for travel support, you must be attending a state school, live outside of a London Borough and meet one or more of the criteria listed in our participant travel policy.
What time will the events start and finish?
The exact timings will be confirmed nearer to the programme start date, but each day will run roughly from 10:00 until 15:30.
Is there a dress code?
There is no dress code but as you will be going outside at several points during each event, for example during the campus tour, you are encouraged to wear comfortable clothing that is appropriate for the weather on the day.
Do I have to attend with a parent or carer?
Parents, carers or other family members are more than welcome to drop you off at UCL, but they will not be allowed to stay during the programme.
- Highlights from Discover 2025
- 100% of participants said they enjoyed taking part in the programme and that their communication needs were met throughout
- Confidence in attending university as a deaf or hard of hearing student rose from 50% before the programme to 100% after
- Confidence in accessing university support services increased significantly, from 8% before to 100% after participation.
- Knowledge of university funding improved markedly, with 88% reporting good or excellent understanding after the programme compared to just 8% beforehand
“It was really fun. To be in a room with people alike, who also wanted to get into university with their big dreams. And listening to the student who had past lived experience, with the support sessions gave me a really big insight to what university will be like for me.
“Finding out what support I am entitled to was great because I feel less scared about university than I was originally and the information was really helpful.
“The career mapping session was my favourite as it allowed me to clearly see my goals down on paper and really think of ways how I can take that next step to prepare.
