What is the Brilliant Club?

The Brilliant Club aims to use PhD students to support disadvantaged students to access the most competitive universities and have the tools to succeed when they study there. The Scholar Programme is delivered in schools and colleges across the UK, where PhD students share their subject knowledge and passion for learning. It is structured around seven tutorials, and pupils also attend a Graduation Event at a partner university to speak with current undergraduates and learn about university life. Each Scholars Programme placement is for 14 pupils, who are taught in two groups of seven.

How does it help?

The programme is structured around 7 tutorials where students will develop their subject knowledge and critical thinking skills through independent research tasks and group work. The students work towards completing a final assignment of 2,500 words which is marked and moderated using university grades.

Research from the UCAS Multiple Equality Measure shows that students from disadvantaged backgrounds have a 2 in 100 chance of going to the most competitive universities, compared with 28 in 100 for the most advantaged. Year 12 students who complete this programme are more likely to apply to and receive offers from competitive universities compared to peers from similar backgrounds.