• Royal Holloway Link is a two year programme starting in Year 12 with 5 subject streams to choose from, aiming to give students a real taste of university.
• The programme provides an insight into a chosen subject area, and advice and guidance on the application process to higher education.
• You will learn about different aspects of university life, and through the summer residential you’ll get to experience staying on campus for yourself.
• The programme is made up of multiple events across the two years to coincide with your studies, with some activities being online to minimise disruption to your time in the classroom.

The programme will include a combination of in person and virtual events and will include:

• Welcome at Royal Holloway
• Subject specific taster sessions
• Q&A with current students
• Subject specific summer residential on campus
• Mentoring in Year 13
• UCAS and personal statement support
• Tips, advice and support with starting at university and preparing for your degree

Link will give you an opportunity to get a better understanding of a broad subject area and the different courses you could study at university. Through RH link you will sign up to one of five subject areas. By the end of this two years you should gain a clearer idea of what interests you within your chosen subject area and you may have narrowed down your choices to one degree to apply for.

Engineering and Maths

• Computer Science
• Maths
• Engineering
• Physics

History, Politics and Literature

• Classics
• English Literature
• History
• Politics and International Relations
• Philosophy

Law and Social Sciences

• Law
• Criminology
• Social Science

Earth Sciences and Geography

• Geography
• Earth Sciences
• Geology

Biological sciences and Health studies

• Biology and Biological sciences
• Health studies

RH Link students receive priority for places.

Our summer residential will take place over two days on campus. You’ll enjoy a range of activities, including subject taster sessions, meeting current university students, and a variety of social activities.

To find out more visit our summer residential webpage.

The programme is free for students who get a place on to the programme.

• Your parents/carers have not attended university
• You have a disability or health condition that impacts on your daily life
• Your home postcode matches the definition of a lower participation in higher education neighbourhood (POLAR 4, Q1). You can click here to check your postcode
• You are a mature student or will be when you start university (if you are 21 or over from September 2023)
• You are a recipient of free school meals
• You are or have ever been in local authority care
• You are a young carer or have caring responsibilities for another individual
• Your postcode matches the definition of an area of multiple deprivation (IMD deciles 1-4). You can check your IMD here.

For the future

• You may also be eligible for a contextual offer when applying to Royal Holloway of up to two grades lower than the standard offer. Click here for more details.

 To apply for the Royal Holloway Link programme you must:

• Study A Level’s or equivalent, predicted no lower than CCC (or equivalent)

• Have 5 GCSEs grades 9 - 4 (A* - C)

• Be a UK resident and be currently or have previously studied at a UK school/college

• Be a student at one of our Link partner schools 

From the programme you will have:

• More subject specific knowledge in your chosen area
• The skills to help you to progress into HE
• Knowledge about how to apply to HE
• Meet like-minded people from other schools
• Worked with current university students
• Worked with university staff who are experts in your subject area

Applications are now open

The deadline for applications to be submitted will be 11.59pm on 2nd December 2022. 

We will aim to shortlist students before the university breaks for Christmas holidays. 

If you have any questions please email us