The University of Sussex is celebrating 30 years of its Undergraduate Summer School programmes this year.  

The summer school, which runs over eight weeks from July each year, offers undergraduate students from around the world a chance to choose from a range of academic modules across the humanities, social sciences and the physical sciences. Through workshops, lectures and hands-on experience, they gain credits that count towards their degrees at their home university, while immersing themselves in university and campus life, as well as exploring historical and cultural sights in the region. 

Sussex was among the first UK institutions to develop Summer School programmes and since 1996, has enrolled over 10,000 students from more than 280 partner universities in over 50 countries around the world. 

Physics was the founding programme of the Undergraduate Summer School programme, created through a partnership between the University of Sussex and the University of California that began in 1996. It was designed to support life science students from the University of California gain the physics credits needed before medical school. An intensive physics module was developed allowing students to complete a full year’s worth of physics in just eight weeks, through workshops, seminars and tailored lectures.   

Physics at Sussex is recognised globally as joint first in the world for research impact and joint fifth in the UK for international collaboration (Shanghai Global Rankings of Academic Subjects 2025). In combination with Sussex’s strong global reputation in many other subject areas, this has encouraged a large number of international students to choose the University of Sussex as their place of study over the summer.  

Professor Robin Banerjee: Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Global and Civic Engagement) says: “The University of Sussex’s Summer School programmes continue to provide students with the opportunity to experience life at a UK university, expand the breadth and depth of their education, and engage with world-leading academics in a supportive environment.” 

“This year, we received applications from over 40 countries. After 30 years, it’s fantastic to see the Summer School go from strength to strength as we welcome around 250 new students to study on our beautiful campus, make new friends from around the world, and build wonderful new memories of life in the vibrant seaside city of Brighton & Hove and the wider Sussex region.” 

To celebrate 30 years of Summer School success, the University has offered 10 scholarships to students from the University of California, allowing them the opportunity to travel abroad and further their studies. 

Ricky Lopez is a first-year pre-medical student at the University of Santa Barbara and received a scholarship this year. Ricky is one of the first of his close family members to attend University and says that the scholarship money helped him to secure his place on the programme. 

Ricky says: “The scholarship gave me and my family the confidence to attend the physics programme with fewer financial worries. Completing a year's worth of physics in just eight weeks at Sussex will allow me to take more advanced courses in the future to support my studies.” 

“So far, I am enjoying the work-hard play-hard mentality of the programme. My weekdays are busy, but I’ve made great friends here and we enjoy the weekends exploring Brighton, London and nearby European cities.” 

Appealing to a broad range of students, the University has expanded its Undergraduate Summer School programmes to give participants experience of cutting-edge techniques and medical training. Students can now take a neuroimaging module which allows them to use MRI scanners, developed specifically for those looking at future medical carers.  

Today, the University offers Summer School modules across a range of disciplines. These include Ecology and Conservation, and Climate Justice. 

Dr Jackie Grant, Academic Lead for the Physics Undergraduate Summer School says: "The Summer School Programme is a fantastic opportunity for international students, but it also supports those already at the University too. To run the programmes, we employ significant numbers of post-graduate researchers and undergraduates, allowing them to develop their skills for their future. We regularly hear that employers value the skills that our tutors learn through this work.”