MSC and DSC summer schools empower students from disadvantaged backgrounds

Participating medical and dental schools in England recruited 462 participants to summer schools against a target of 300 – 54% over target. Attendees reported increased confidence in applying for medicine/dentistry and improved understanding of healthcare careers more broadly.

Funded by NHS England, the MSC summer school programme, which began in 2019 and was expanded to include dentistry with support from the Dental Schools Council in 2021, is designed to provide the opportunity for students from disadvantaged backgrounds to learn more about careers in healthcare and equip them with the skills to create a strong application for university. The summer schools were a mixture of residential, commuter and online.

The report reviews the success of the summer school programme and provides recommendations for future programmes. Key findings in this year’s report include:

• Approximately two thirds of participants were from the most deprived geographical areas
• Around half of participants were eligible for free school meals
• There was a slightly lower proportion of participants on the medicine programme from cold spot areas (29% this year vs 37% last year)
• The programme continues to engage a high proportion of young carers relative to the population
• The majority of participants were female, as in previous years and reflective of application ratios
• There were significantly more Asian and Black participants than the general population in England

Overall, the programme continues to engage a more diverse cohort of students than those applying to and entering medical school.

Students were overwhelmingly positive about their summer school experience. An attitudinal survey looked at participants’ experience of the programme and found that:

• The summer schools significantly increased participants’ confidence in applying for medicine/dentistry, with a 13% and 18% increase for medicine and dentistry respectively
• The summer schools increased participants’ understanding of healthcare careers more broadly, with 10% and 26% increase for medicine and dentistry respectively

“The Summer School experience has been invaluable. I’ve gained a lot of knowledge not only about the medical field but also about the process of becoming a medical student. The workshops and guidance on personal statements and interviews exceeded my expectations and made me feel more prepared for the application process.”

There were slight variations in outcomes by host institution (although the general trends were comparable), and further exploration of the differences between programme content may help inform best practice going forward.

Students were also interviewed about their experience on the summer school programme.

The interviews found:

• The summer schools helped participants visualise themselves within higher education and as future doctors/dentists
• In-person summer schools provide transformative experiences, whereas online programmes focus on information delivery
• Student ambassadors play a key role in encouraging participants
• Participants benefited from increased confidence in the university transition but highlighted concerns around workload and stress on the course
• Some participants would like more flexibility with attendance policies and eligibility for contextual admissions offerings

“Learning that someone like me, someone with a background like myself has, even though I’ve had less opportunity than other people, it doesn’t mean that I’m going to be any less valuable as a medical student or as a clinician.”

The report also makes recommendations for improved outcomes in future years. In particular, as the number of participants from medicine cold spots saw a reduction this year, a targeted recruitment strategy and partnerships with schools in these areas may help improve participation from these regions in future. Other recommendations include:

• Explore focused recruitment strategies and partnerships with local schools within cold spot areas
• Investigate ways of enhancing experiential aspects of online summer school programmes
• Implement long-term evaluation of the outcomes of students on the summer schools programme through MSC and DSC’s membership of HEAT

The MSC and DSC summer schools continue to empower students from disadvantaged backgrounds by boosting confidence and awareness of healthcare careers. Following the success of the 2024 programme, the 2025 summer schools have just concluded, and work is underway to improve recruitment for 2026, ensuring ongoing progress in widening access to medicine and dentistry.

Read the full report