FAQs

The PATHWAY programme is a route for talented young people from Northern Ireland who have the ability to study at Queen's University but may require additional support and encouragement to reach their full potential.

Throughout Year 13 and 14, you will benefit from a structured series of events designed to aid progression to Queen's University, including receiving admissions guidance and support. You will also participate in a residential assessed summer school at the end of Year 13. Participants who successfully complete the programme will benefit with a guaranteed conditional offer in a course within their Pathway and potentially benefit from receiving an alternative admissions offer for a programme of study at Queen's University, which may be up to two A-level grades lower than the standard offer.

Queen's University has selected six discipline specific course streams as part of the PATHWAY programme:

• Archaeology and Palaeoecology
• Business
• Civil Engineering
• Computer Science
• Food, Microbiology and Environment
• Law

PATHWAY participants will take part in a series of workshops, masterclasses and seminars which will be delivered either on campus or online via our Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). Participants will complete an assessed summer school which will take place in July 2017 for five nights on the Queen's campus. The summer school is a residential event with all participants expected to stay on campus for the duration of the summer school. Participants must successfully complete all elements of the programme to be eligible for any potential reduction in undergraduate admission offer.

Section A

• Applicants must be ordinarily resident in Northern Ireland and be in attendance full-time at a school or college in Northern Ireland.
• Be currently in year 1 of an acceptable two-year level 3 qualification* such as A-levels, BTEC etc.
• Have at least 7 grades A*-C at GCSE (or equivalent e.g. BTEC certificate) including English Language. Of these 7 GCSEs, a minimum of 5 must be at grade B or above.

In addition to the above criteria in section A, we are looking for students who meet at least two of the following:

Section B

• Neither of your parents have attended university and obtained an undergraduate degree or equivalent level qualification in the UK or abroad unless they are currently studying for their first degree, or they have graduated from their first degree within the last five years.
• You are eligible to receive/currently in receipt of free school meals (FSM) at your school or college.
• You receive Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) at your school or college.
• You live in a 'disadvantaged neighbourhood' according to the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency. This will be defined by your permanent residence postcode.
• You are currently in the care of or have previously experienced Local Authority Care.

Applications for the PATHWAY programme can be completed and submitted online at www.qub.ac.uk/wpu . The deadline for applications is 9 December 2016. Incomplete/applications received after this date will not be accepted.

Queen's University Belfast accepts a wide range of qualifications and subjects. To find out more about specific entrance requirements for each individual course pathway, please refer to http://www.qub.ac.uk/Study/Course-Finder/ Entrance requirements vary between courses and are subject to change.

All participants who complete the programme are guaranteed a conditional offer for their chosen course pathway. Based on their performance on the assessed residential programme students may receive an offer with reduced entrance requirements, which may be up to two A-level grades (or equivalent) lower than the standard undergraduate admissions requirements for that course.

There are 120 places available for the 2018 Pathway programme.

All costs for the programme including travel, accommodation and catering costs will be covered by Queen's University as part of its commitment to Widening Participation.

For the 2018 programme, all applications must be submitted online by midnight on Friday 08 December 2017.  The deadline for applications for the 2019 programme will be in late November 2018.

If you are unable to take up your place, please contact the Widening Participation Unit on 028 9097 5020 or email pop@qub.ac.uk

There are currently six course pathways to choose from. These courses have clear progression routes to employment and further study. It is anticipated that further subject pathways will be added for the 2019 programme.

All participants must be resident for the duration of the summer school to facilitate engagement with the programme and in particular the assessment component. If you have exceptional circumstances that may prevent you from taking part in the residential element, please contact the Widening Participation Unit on 028 9097 5020 or email pop@qub.ac.uk

During the summer residentail, students will be staying at Queen's Elms Village, Malone Road, Belfast (QUB Student Accommodation), where each participant in the programme will have their own bedroom with private bathroom for the duration of the residential. All accommodation and catering costs will be paid for by Queen's University.

Free time will vary depending on the Pathway subject, as the coursework for each subject will be delivered differently. Learning activities are scheduled from 9:30am until 4:30pm with dinner every evening at or around 6:00pm. There will be plenty of opportunities  to socialise with other participants during the evenings while at the summer residential through group activities which usually run from 7.00pm until 10.00pm.

The assessment will vary depending on Pathway subject, and may involve undertaking research, reading articles, writing a report or essay, undertaking group work exercises, or delivering a presentation.

If you need to make any changes to your application, please contact the Widening Participation team on 028 9097 5020 or email pop@qub.ac.uk

Even if you have not been successful in gaining a place on the PATHWAY programme, we strongly encourage you to apply to study at Queen's University through the UCAS system. Your application will be treated in the same way as all other UCAS applications.

No, you may decide that Queen's University is not for you after completing this programme and can apply to any University you choose. However you will only qualify for the guaranteed offer if you make Queen's University your firm choice (CF) with UCAS in one of the specified courses in your Pathway subject. You will be given more in depth guidance about the UCAS process during the scheme.