College and Sixth Form events and opportunities
Explore the Widening Participation team’s full range of support and events throughout the year.
On this page:
- event programme
- online access summer school
- campus events
- events at your school or college
- key information.
Event programme
We welcome bookings from any sixth form or college. However, places will be prioritised for Access team partner institutions, as well as colleges/sixth forms with a high number of students meeting widening participation criteria, including:
- eligible for the 16-19 bursary
- in receipt of free school meals in the past six years
- from a Gypsy, Roma or Traveller background
- experience in care.
Campus events
Inspire your chemistry students with a Nobel Prize discovery
Date: Tuesday 6 October 2026
Time: 11.30am-3pm, optional panel discussion: 3.30pm-4.30pm
Give your sixth form and college students the chance to experience real-world chemistry at the University of Sussex, celebrating 30 years since Sir Harry Kroto’s Nobel Prize-winning discovery of Buckminsterfullerene.
This engaging event brings the story of C₆₀ – the iconic “buckyball” – to life, linking directly to A-level topics including allotropes of carbon, bonding, nanomaterials, and structure-property relationships.
Students will take part in a hands-on workshop with Dr Jonathan Hare, exploring the chemistry, physics, and astrochemical significance of fullerenes, and building their own molecular model to take home.
Students will also have an opportunity to explore our campus.
Colleges are welcome to depart at the 3:00pm break, but we’d encourage you to stay for the panel discussion if you are able to study for the full session (3:30pm–4:30pm).
Find your Future: university essentials
Our Find your Future conferences give attendees from Year 12 of sixth form and Year 1 of college the chance to discover what student life is like, in addition to offering a springboard into potential university applications. They’ll leave knowing exactly what they need to do to complete a UCAS application, understand the student finance system and gain an insight into student life.
Book your place on Wednesday 12 May or Wednesday 16 June.
Study and See: subject introductions
Our Study and See sessions give attendees a chance to have a university-style experience in some of their favourite subjects, or try out subjects they may not have considered before.
They will take part in three 45-minute taster sessions, led by academic staff and supported by current Sussex students. Your students will learn more about which topics you can study within a subject, explore possible career pathways and speak to students currently studying in that area.
Students will sign up to three sessions of their choice upon arrival. There are limited spaces per subject so please sign up as soon as possible. We aim to give students their preferences, but it is on a ‘first-come first-served’ basis.
Book your place on the following dates:
- Wednesday 27 January – Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
- Thursday 28 January – STEM focused day (Sciences, Technology, Engineering and Maths)
Events at your school or college
There are several ways that our Widening Participation team can connect with your school or college to inspire your students.
Subject session talks
Our subject sessions involve a University of Sussex academic visiting your sixth form or college to deliver a university subject taster talk in lesson time. These sessions are designed to connect with your current curriculum. These sessions are supported by a member of the Widening Participation team and Student Ambassador to offer additional guidance on university and student life. We recommend allowing 1.5 hours for the session.
Request an outbound subject session
T-Level and UAL Campus Visits
Book now to request visits to our campus for students on specialist courses. Over the past year we have supported bespoke visits for T-Level, and UAL Diploma students. These sessions are designed to connect students with Sussex in a way that suits their learning. Choose from a range of subject specific taster sessions and research-based workshops.
Online Access Summer School
Join us for a free four-day online summer school designed for sixth form and college students in their first year. This programme is for you if you’re curious about university life, academic subjects and building confidence for next steps.
More information on this event will be available from December 2026.
Key information
Please keep in mind that:
- an application for an event does not guarantee you a place
- we will email successful applicants with further information
- we can pay for train or bus travel
- we will review any coach travel requests on a case-by-case basis
- we provide food for all attendees on campus
- we reserve the right to close applications early
- we request that at least 80% of attendees meet at least one widening participation criteria.
Contact
If you have any queries, email inspires@sussex.ac.uk.