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The University of Southampton
Schools and colleges

Ignite your Journey

At the University of Southampton, we take a lifecycle approach to Widening Participation and Social Mobility. Our flagship programme Ignite Southampton allows us to offer sustained and sequential support to students from groups under-represented in higher education.

Ignite your Journey, our strand for Year 12/13 students, is designed to support your university application, help develop the skills you'll need for study at a research led university and support your transition to higher education (HE).

Applications for the 2026 entry to university programme will open in May 2025.

Register your interest to be the first to know when our applications open.

Register your interest

 

Programme overview

Participants will take part in a number of activities between August 2025 and April 2026 to acquire skills and knowledge around university level study and help with the transition to Higher Education.

As well as getting the chance develop skills and understanding of the transition to university, those who complete the programme in full will be eligible to receive:

*For Medicine, those who complete the Ignite your Journey programme must also meet another of the University's contextual admissions policy criteria in order to receive additional admissions consideration.

Please note that Ignite your Journey does not guarantee an offer from the University, and that neither your acceptance onto the programme nor your participation in the activities confers eligibility for admission to our undergraduate programmes. Admissions decisions are made on a combination of your predicted and achieved grades, content of your UCAS personal statement, UCAS reference, interview and/or admissions test (for some courses). You must complete any standard admissions process in addition to the Ignite your Journey activities which may include, but is not limited to; interviews, visit days and additional skills tests.

What our students say

“The e-mentoring part of Ignite your Journey has been one of the most inspiring and encouraging experiences I have had throughout the university application process.” Jess, previous participant, Medicine

“To say that participating was super helpful going into my first year would be a huge understatement – I’ve been able to adjust, grow and develop into uni life so much faster than I thought I would, and the opportunities I’ve received since, and the experiences I’ve gained, would not have been possible without the programme.” Andrei, BSc Computer Science, Third Year

“Taking part in a pre-entry programme before I came to university helped me understand the expectations of degree level study – it made me feel more confident.” Charlotte, MSci Oceanography 2021

Eligibility

Ignite your Journey is open Home UK Year 12 (or equivalent) students. We prioritise students from state schools or colleges for participation in the programme. You must also meet at least one of the following widening participation criteria:

You can check your postcode for the POALR4, TUNDRA and IMD measures here . If your home postcode is in Wales you can check the Welsh IMD here .

Please note that BM6 Medicine, Creative Computing, Liberal Arts and our Foundation Year programmes are not currently available through Ignite your Journey.

How to apply

Applications for the 2026 entry to university programme will open in May 2025.

Register your interest to be the first to know when our applications open.

Register your interest

Contact us

If you are unsure if you meet the eligibility criteria or if have any questions about Ignite your Journey, please contact us at talk2us@soton.ac.uk .

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