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Pathway to Bath Programme

Pathway to Bath is a free curriculum enhancement programme for Year 12 students who meet our widening participation criteria to develop skills for university.

Applications for 2026 are now open and close on 4 January 2026

What is Pathway to Bath?

Watch this video to get a flavour of Pathway to Bath.

What is Pathway to Bath?

Pathway to Bath is a free programme for Year 12 (UK) students, who meet our Widening Participation Criteria.
The programme provides students with
- the opportunity to work with experienced staff and current students
- explore a chosen subject in-depth
- develop key academic skills for university study and beyond
Students gain insights into what teaching and learning is like at university and have the opportunity to apply for a place on a free 3-day residential visit to campus in the summer.
The programme is designed to fit around your busy schedule. Live sessions will take place on Wednesday late afternoons but will be recorded. Upon successful completion of the programme, you will be eligible for a guaranteed conditional offer.

2 students working at a laptop with female ambassador in the background

Who is eligible and which subjects are available?

Pathway is for able Year 12 UK based students wanting to apply to Bath and meet one of our widening participation criteria. If a subject is at capacity you may be added to a waiting list. Click on the links to see the courses offered in the subject area.

Sciences

Engineering and Design

Humanities and Social Sciences

Economics, Business and Accounting

What will you do?

Study an online course, have the chance to join us for a residential campus visit, and get a real insight into first year level work supported by our academics.

4 February - 29 April 2026

Start with the big launch on 4 February and study an online course delivered by our academic staff. They will support you to study and research an undergraduate topic and develop key academic skills.

Online live sessions with our academics and undergraduate e-mentors will guide you through the programme. You will be supported every step of the way by your academic subject tutor, University of Bath students and your fellow Pathway students, who you will get to know in your live sessions. You will regularly hand in small assignments that form part of your work and receive vital feedback from your mentor.

May - July 2026

After you complete your subject learning you will receive valuable Uni life information from our undergraduate e-mentors about student finance, accommodation, courses available and support for students.

Week beginning 20 July 2026

Take part in an action packed residential during the summer holiday.

You will be able to apply for a stay in university halls, attend lectures and workshops, explore our award-winning facilities and world heritage city, and get involved in social activities to really experience life on campus.

September – December 2026

Receive support to make a competitive application to study at Bath and a successful transition to university, including 1:1 personal statement support and much more.

What will you get out of it?

Students who complete the programme will benefit from:

  • the opportunity to receive a guaranteed conditional offer on successful completion
  • developing key academic skills and knowledge for university and beyond
  • valuable experiences to include in a UCAS application
  • access personalised support to apply to university
  • meeting other like-minded students with similar study interests and future plans

Here's what some of this year's Pathway students said about the programme:

'Exploring the subject outside of the A-level curriculum, and learning about antimicrobials and different types of bacteria has been amazing. Undertaking a lab report for myself was also a great experience to prepare me for university, and gave me a great insight into Biosciences.'

'Thank you so much. I really had a wonderful experience and the project was extremely fun and interesting and the skills I learnt were very important.'

Contextual offer

You will be considered for contextual admissions if you meet our Widening Participation Criteria. Contextual offers are available if you are studying A levels or the IB and typically include a reduction of one or two grades below our entry requirements. Contextual offers help to promote fairness and are available to those who meet our widening access criteria. To check if you are eligible to receive a contextual offer please have a look at our website

In addition, having completed the Pathway to Bath programme successfully, you may be eligible to receive a guaranteed conditional offer.

View of the lake on campus with buildings in the background

Who can apply

Pathway to Bath is aimed at academically able Year 12 UK based students who are considering applying to study at Bath. You will need to check that you are on track to meet our contextual offer for one of the courses in your chosen course area (take a look at our course pages for details of our typical and contextual offers) and you will also need to meet one or more of our Widening Participation criteria

How to apply

When applying you will need to:

  • provide details of your current qualifications (e.g. A-Levels or BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma) and previous qualifications (e.g. GCSEs)
  • provide contact details for a parent/carer
  • provide contact details of a teacher who can provide a reference

Application deadline 4 January 2026

Applications for 2026 are now open and close on 4 January 2026
Female student working on her laptop

Parents/carers and teachers

We keep in touch with parents/carers and teachers throughout the Pathway programme and provide the information they need.

We feel it’s important to work closely with schools and parents to make sure the students feel supported and parents/carers have the know-how they need to help young people prepare and apply for university.

If you are a teacher and would like to promote this amazing opportunity within your school or college please book a meeting for a virtual presentation for your students or a chat with us. You can also use our promotional video if you like.

This programme isn't right for me, is there anything else?

Yes, we have other programmes for year 12 students. You can fill in our form which will then send you a personalised list of activities, events and resources that might be helpful for you.

Or you might like to have a look at our Discover Bath Summer School. Please be advised that you can only take part in Pathway to Bath, Target Bath OR Discover Bath, not more than one of them.

Applications for 2026 are now open and close on 4 January

Apply now

Enquiries

If you have any questions, please contact us.