Summer schools 20-10-2025

Preparing for Medicine: University of East Anglia and Anglia Ruskin Summer School (MSC Summer School)

Do you live in Norfolk, Suffolk or Essex and have an interest in studying medicine but are unsure where to begin? The Preparing for Medicine programme from the University of East Anglia (UEA) and Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) offers a range of activities to help you achieve your goal. You’ll gain practical experience during in-person events like a summer school at either UEA or ARU, UCAT coaching and mock interviews, plus online ethics and careers sessions. And the best part? You'll be paired with a medical student mentor who can help you through the application process.

Applications are now open and will close on 30 November 2025.

About this summer school

Preparing for Medicine starts in March 2026 and ends in September 2026, with the option to continue with e-mentoring until the end of August 2027, after your university place is confirmed. We have 3 in-person one-day events, a summer school, two online events and an online virtual learning environment to support your journey.

We will assign you to either the 5-day UEA commuter summer school in Norwich or the 5-day/4-night ARU overnight residential in Chelmsford.

  • Please note: the UEA summer school is five days with no overnight stays, requiring daily travel to and from UEA campus in Norwich (and the surrounding area for the GP observations). If you live more than a 90-minute commute from Norwich, please consider whether the daily commute is manageable before selecting this summer school as your preferred option.

We kick off the programme with a one-day in-person welcome event on Saturday 28th March at the University of East Anglia in Norwich. This will include an introduction to medicine and a chance to meet your mentor. You will need to make sure you can make it to campus for an 11:00am start.

Our second event will take place online on Wednesday 22nd April, from 5:00pm to 8:00pm. We will be discussing medical ethics and getting you summer school ready.    

The UEA summer school will run from Tuesday 26th May to Saturday 30th May and you will need to make sure that you can travel to campus for a 9:00am start every day. The summer school will introduce you to a Problem Based Learning (PBL) case, and you will attend lectures, spend 2 days observing a GP, work out your differential diagnosis, and practise your clinical reasoning. You will also have time to look around campus and meet current students and staff.

The third one-day event is the UCAT preparation session. Our medical students, who have all passed the test, will coach you through the process. This will take place on ARU campus in Chelmsford on Saturday 13th June, with an 11:00am arrival time.

The ARU summer school will run from Sunday 5th July until Thursday 9th July, and includes 4 nights on campus in Chelmsford, so pack your overnight bag. You will practise anatomy, spend time in a hospital, attend lectures and get to meet current medical students as you experience what it is like to be a medical student.  

The fourth event will focus on careers and work experience. By this point in the programme, you will have had some work experience, so we will ask you to reflect on this and think about the skills you have gained. This will take place online on Wednesday 19th August from 5:00pm to 8:00pm.

The fifth and final event will bring all programme participants back together again at UEA in Norwich for an application and interview support session. This is where you can practise and gain feedback on any aspect of your application. You will need to be with us by 11:00am, ready to start the day.

Programme structure

Event

Date

Time

Location

Welcome to medicine and meet your mentor session

28 March 2026

11am – 4pm

UEA, Norwich

Ethics and preparing for summer school session

22 April 2026

5pm – 8pm

 

Online

UEA 5-day commuter summer school

 

26 May – 30 May 2026

9am – 5pm + BBQ on 30th until 8pm

UEA, Norwich

UCAT preparation session

13 June 2026

11am – 4pm

 

ARU, Chelmsford

ARU 5-day/4-night residential summer school

5 July  – 9 July 2026

Overnight stay required

ARU, Chelmsford

Careers and work experience session

19 August 2026

5pm – 8pm

 

Online

Application and interview preparation session

19 September 2026

11am – 4pm

 

UEA, Norwich

Additional information 

  • We will assign you to either the 5-day UEA commuter summer school in Norwich or the 5-day/4-night ARU overnight residential in Chelmsford. Please note: the UEA summer school is five days with no overnight stays, requiring daily travel to and from UEA campus in Norwich (and the surrounding area for the GP observations). If you live more than a 90-minute commute from Norwich, please consider whether the daily commute is manageable before selecting this summer school as your preferred option.
  • Our priority areas are Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex.

  • Preparing for Medicine students will automatically receive a guaranteed interview offer for UEA and ARU for the 2026 and 2027 UCAS application cycles if:

    1. They meet the required entry criteria for the course to which they are applying.
    2. They engage fully with the programme and meet the 80% engagement threshold.

  • Students need to be able to attend the in-person events. Events will alternate between UEA campus Norwich and ARU campus Chelmsford. Students will need to be able to travel to both locations.

How to apply 

MSC Summer School programmes are open to students in Year 12 in England from underrepresented backgrounds, particularly those from areas with limited outreach to medical schools. Applications are now open and will close on 30 November 2025. Use the links below to check the eligibility criteria and submit your application.

Summer School Eligibility 2026Make a Summer School application