Attend a subject taster day and discover what it would be like to study your chosen subject at degree level. 

On these free-of-charge days, you will sample lectures and practical sessions, work alongside other students interested in your subject, visit our beautiful award-winning campus, meet our enthusiastic staff and students, and get a real feel for student life at the University of Reading.

To request your place on a subject taster, please complete the application form.

We try to accommodate as many students as possible in our outreach provision and in most cases are able to offer places to all. However, in the case of oversubscription on events, priority will be given to students from groups currently under-represented in Higher Education, and to young people with little or no experience of Higher Education in their family.

Travel bursaries

To enable all students access to our subject tasters we offer travel bursaries to those who meet certain qualifying criteria. We can provide advance return train and bus tickets to the University from a named UK station, or reimburse mileage costs after the event for qualifying students.

To apply for a travel bursary, please complete the travel bursary section of the application form.

We offer a wide range of subject-specific tasters from Accounting to Zoology.

Want to be the first to know about events and activities in your subject area of interest? 

Please email us at outreach@reading.ac.uk

For teachers and advisors

Keep up to date with what is happening at the University and join our events mailing list. Please visit our teachers and advisors website.

23 June 2020

The Henley Business School’s ICMA centre is opening up its simulation dealing rooms for Year 12 students to get a hands on experience of what it takes to be a stock trader. This event gives students the opportunity to apply their maths, economics and business knowledge to the fast paced environment of stock market trading. As well as learning about business and finance, students will have the chance to develop their entrepreneurial capabilities. If you want to find out whether a finance based degree course is right for you, then sign up to the Stock Market Challenge through our subject taster form.

The Pathways to Property Summer School takes place from 20 – 23 July 2020 for Year 12 students from state schools/colleges who want to learn more about a career in property.

Taking place over 4 days on campus at Henley Business School, University of Reading, this fully funded, residential Summer School gives you the opportunity to explore the world of property and the careers within it. With a mix of taster lectures, site visits, a group project, careers fair and social activities, you will get to experience university life, whilst also exploring key themes in property such as sustainability, regeneration and globalisation. And with such a huge variety of roles, from a building surveyor or town planner to a sustainability consultant or financial analyst, there is a role to suit any skillset or personality.

Applications for the Summer School are now open.

As part of our commitment to widening participation, places for the Summer School shall be awarded to students who best meet our widening participation criteria.

Are you a young scientist who is thinking about a career in food? The Department of Food and Nutritional Sciences will be holding its next 3-day introductory course between 8 - 10th July 2020, for Year 12 students.

You will get involved in activities such as looking at how food is manufactured, how safety is ensured and assess what happens when you alter the ingredients in food products. You will also get the opportunity to hear about hot topics affecting the food we eat and meet graduates working in the food industry and find out what they really do. 

You will be staying in a hall of residence on the University campus, sampling the delights of university life. To be selected you will need to demonstrate a genuine interest in food and nutrition. You should also be studying at least one core science subject (Chemistry, Biology, Maths, Physics) in Year 12. 

The Reading Scholars Programme gives Year 12 students a real taste of life as a university undergraduate, providing practical support as participants begin their higher education application process. Featuring input from leading academics and current undergraduate e-mentors, the programme aims to challenge participants academically and enhance their current studies.

The programme is currently offered in the following subject areas: Art and Design, Biology, Business, Chemistry, Food Science and Pharmacy, English Literature, History, Classics and Archaeology, Languages and culture, Mathematics, Psychology, and Physical Geography and Environmental Science.

Applications for the Reading Scholars programme 2019 are now open. Visit the website for the programme brochure and online application form.  

As part of our commitment to widening participation, the programme is for students who meet our widening participation criteria.

Together with universities and cultural institutions from around the world, the University of Reading has developed a wide range of free online courses. 

Providing you are 13 years or older you can explore a diverse and exciting range of topics in your own time and on any device. Courses include Begin Robotics, Our Changing Climate, and A Beginner's Guide to Writing in English for University Study. Find out more about our free online courses

In unforeseen circumstances, we may have to cancel or amend the events. Participants will be notified of any changes as far in advance as possible.