Forensic Scientist Summer Experience in London

Students step into the working day of a forensic scientist through immersive career simulations. They package and recover key pieces of evidence at a simulated crime scene, work with specialists on fingerprint and blood spatter analysis to identify a suspect, extract their own DNA in a laboratory, and write and deliver an expert witness testimony live in court. The simulations are coached by practising forensic scientists from organisations specialising in blood spatter and fingerprint analysis, first response, toxicology and anthropology, who also run private networking sessions with the group.

The school offers a special discount - ask us for details. Three options are published: a first-week taster, the full two-week experience, and a two-week enhanced package, each available residential or non-residential. Contact time with professionals is published as 25 hours for one week, 50 hours for two weeks and 65 hours for the enhanced package. Every option includes hands-on career simulations, programme materials, equipment and resources, a digital certificate, on-site safeguarding and pastoral care, time on the UCL campus and excursions to professional workplaces - up to two on the one-week option and up to five on both two-week options. The enhanced package adds an assessment centre with feedback, a graduation ceremony with a physical certificate, the Level 3 Award in Work Experience with assessment for UCAS points, time on the LSE campus, personalised professional development and university admissions coaching, personality and situational judgement testing, and a private gala dinner and networking event with professionals.

The residential package places students in a private, single, en-suite bedroom in university halls of residence in central London, allocated among halls used by University of London students including Garden Halls, College Hall, International Hall and Frances Gardner House. The one-week residential option is published as six nights and the two-week options as thirteen nights, so a residential stay opens the day before teaching starts and closes the day after it ends. A designated Pastoral and Activity leader, House Parents, Centre Managers and a medical office provide round-the-clock safeguarding and pastoral support. Non-residential options are sold for students who arrange their own accommodation.

Breakfast and dinner are served at the accommodation canteen for students on the residential package.

Evening and weekend social activities are run for residential students as part of the package. The programme itself takes students out of the classroom to key industry locations in London, including a simulated crime scene, a forensic laboratory and a court setting, and the enhanced package includes a private gala dinner in central London with a networking reception.

The programme is based at UCL and the surrounding University of London campus in central London, with certain days taking place at other key industry locations in the city. The enhanced package also brings students onto the LSE campus. Laboratory work, including DNA extraction, takes place in a state-of-the-art laboratory.

The programme is designed for students aged 15 to 18 and no prior knowledge of forensic science is required. Students who complete the assessment receive a personalised certificate and an industry reference letter from forensic scientists setting out what they achieved, and career coaching covers subject choices, university selection, work experience and extra-curricular activities. Around half of the participants come from outside the United Kingdom; the operator publishes a minimum English language requirement of B2 on the CEFR scale.