What can I study?
The Pre-University Online Summer School teaches 7 different courses spanning subject areas such as health and science, law, business management, culture and social science.
You will study one subject for the duration of the online programme. All courses are taught by King's College London academics.
Each course page in the menu below contains more information about classes, teaching patterns and assessment. Places on the summer courses are allocated on a first come, first served basis upon payment of fees.
Session 1 (5th July - 16th July)
Business Management is ideal for any student considering a degree in Business, Management, Economics, Operations, Marketing or other related fields, or a future career in any of these areas.
Course info
Law is ideal for anyone considering undergraduate study in Law and related subjects, and will allow you to find out how this experience would be and whether it is right for you.
Course info
This Human Body is ideal for any student considering a degree in Healthcare, Medicine, Nursing, Anatomy, Physiology or other Life Sciences.
Course info
International Relations is ideal for anyone interested in international affairs and how global institutions operate. More specifically, this course should be of great benefit to students considering degrees in Politics, International Relations, Government, War Studies, Political History, and any other related area.
Course info
Session 2 (19th July - 30th July)
Arts & Humanities is ideal for any student considering a degree in Media, Language and Communication, Cultural Studies, or other Arts and Humanities subjects more generally.
Course info
This course would be ideal for students considering undergraduate degrees in Psychology, Neuroscience, Psychiatry or any related field.
Course info
This course is designed for students considering undergraduate-level study of subjects related to Technology, Physics and Engineering.
Course info
Our Pre-University Online Summer School courses prepare you for university. They offer an in-depth exploration of a subject area at degree level, and improve students’ understanding of university study. Our courses provide insight into the key debates, themes and cutting-edge research areas of a subject. Students will have the opportunity to collaborate on group assignments and experience social learning which are central elements of undergraduate study.
Teaching hours
The 45 timetabled hours will be carefully scheduled to ensure that students in a wide variety of timezones are catered for, and you will be able to study some of the course material flexibly and at your own pace. For more information, see the details of the teaching schedule on each course’s page.
Live classes will begin at either 9am or 3pm each weekday (British Summer Time), and students will be grouped according to which session is more suitable for their timezone and the operational requirements of the module. In addition, some of the course material can be studied flexibly and at your own pace.
Attendance
Attendance at all sessions is compulsory and will be monitored by the Summer Programmes office.
Assessment
Assessment will consist of a written and oral component, and is designed to reflect university-level assignments. Feedback from your tutors will allow you to see how well you have performed and where you might be able to improve. Upon completion of the programme, you will receive a King’s certificate of attendance.
Here is what you might expect on a typical day on one of our Pre-University courses. Please note that different courses may vary somewhat in teaching approaches, and the information included on this page is included as a guide only.
Online learning
You will spend your morning* accessing online learning resources prepared specially by your tutor, who will have carefully selected the best kind of resource for each topic or skill. For example, on one day they might have prepared two short video lectures on academic topics, a quiz, a short piece of reading and a question for you to discuss in the class forum. This will take around two hours to complete.
(* Note that, depending on time zones, your live teaching sessions may in fact take place in the morning, in which case you will access the online learning resources in the afternoon of the previous day.)
Live teaching
After lunch, you will have a live session of 90 minutes with your course tutor, an academic from one of King’s College London’s world-class faculty teams, who will lead you in discussion, debate or collaborative investigation around the themes from the morning’s online learning, or other key topics from earlier in the week. These sessions are convened on the College’s Microsoft Teams software, which allows all participants to participate in a highly interactive video call, sharing materials as required. There will also often be opportunities to break out into smaller groups as needed.
University Preparation & Facilitated Groupwork
On most days, after the session with the course tutor, you will generally have another 1-hour live session focusing on groupwork and the skills and information to help you prepare for university and beyond. These sessions include academic skills (such as teamwork, presentations or academic writing), university application advice, as well as specific sessions with our Student Ambassadors who will share experience and advice from the perspective of someone who is currently studying at King’s.
Teamworking and independent study
A fair portion of each day will be spent working independently either individually or in small groups. This can be done through live chat or team video meetings, again through Microsoft Teams. You can do this at any point during the day – for instance, if during the morning’s online learning you are unclear about a challenging concept, you can open up Teams and start chatting with others on your course.
The Summer Society
After an intensive, mind-expanding day of study, as evening arrives you will be in the mood for social activities, and that is where the King’s Summer Society comes in. A whole host of different sessions will be organised, from academic challenges to film clubs, from online live music streams to cultural exchanges, in order to allow students to connect with one another and make the most of the summer experience. Read more about the Summer Society here.
The King's College London Pre-University Online Summer School is open to high-achieving students who are about to start or who are enrolled in their final two years of high school, and are typically aged 16 and 17. Students must be aged 16 as of 1 September 2021.
As this is an intensive social and academic experience delivered by King's Faculty, it is essential that all applicants are independent, mature and motivated students.
Entry Requirements
As part of the application process you will need to upload the following:
- Official confirmation of your most recent high school grades
- A personal statement
- Evidence of your English language proficiency
- Agreement form to study with us (to be completed online after offer)
The Pre-University Online Summer School is taught and assessed entirely in English. All applicants must have studied English to at least level B2 in the Common European Framework of Reference for languages (CEFR) or offer one of the below:
- English language O-Level/IGCSE/GCSE grade C
- International Baccalaureate Standard Level English, grade 4
- IELTS score of 6.0 (or equivalent) with a minimum of 5.5 in each skill
- TOEFL paper-based test: we require a minimum of 547 with minimum 53 in all skills.
- TOEFL internet-based test: we require a minimum of 72 with minimum 17 in all skills.
- TOEIC, minimum score of 685 in all skills
- Cambridge Advanced Certificate grade B
- Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English, grade C
- CET-4 (China) 493
- Duolingo English Test, we require a minimum test score of 95
We may accept alternative English language qualifications but we will need an official letter verifying the qualification you have is the equivalent of level B2.
Our pre-university fees are listed below. All programmes have a £60 application fee.
Pre-University programme fees
King's Pre-University Online Summer School: £2050
Session 1: 5 July – 16 July or Session 2: 19 July – 30 July 2021
We are offering a small number of Pre-University Summer Online @ King's scholarships for the 2021 King's Pre-University Summer School.
Scholarships cover the cost of tuition fees for your chosen course and successful applicants will be required to:
1. Write a 300-word blog post on your Summer @ King's
2. Provide a short one-minute video testimonial on their experience
3. Attend one online ambassador event in the 2021/22 academic year
Applications are now open and more information on scholarship requirements and when to apply is available below.
Pre-University Online Summer School @ King's scholarship details (pdf)
We operate on a first-come, first-served basis. Please refer to our terms and conditions. If you would like to apply for more than one session, please contact summer@kcl.ac.uk with your request.
Places in our summer schools can only be confirmed once full payment of the fee is received. Please visit our How To Apply page for information about how to apply and pay
All successful applicants will be required to return an Agreement to Study form signed by their parent or legal guardian. This includes acknowledgement, acceptance and agreement to abide by the Student Code of Conduct.