Prepare for University

To access our latest resources supporting preparation for university-level mathematics, please visit the STEP Support Programme

This is the NRICH collection of materials to help you to prepare for university and to help you to appreciate how exciting and interesting advanced mathematics and its applications can be. You might have already chosen a course or might be thinking about which university subject would best suit your interests. You might even have been to university and want to see how mathematics works in a discipline other than your own!

In this collection there are small selections of problems to do and articles to read. We suggest that you take your time over these to allow yourself to really get involved with the concepts, some of which might seem rather unusual. We have chosen the material to cover both core mathematical topics and mathematical styles of thinking that are useful at university.

If you are planning to apply to a university that uses STEP as part of its conditional offers, you may find our free online STEP Support Programme helpful.

Prepare for University - Pure Mathematics

Age 16 to 18
Challenge Level

Helpful preparation for those intending to study a course involving pure mathematics at university.

Prepare for University - Applied Mathematics

Age 16 to 18
Challenge Level

Helpful preparation for university for those intending to study a course involving applied mathematics at university.

Interactive Workout - Mathmo

Age 16 to 18 Short
Challenge Level

Mathmo is a revision tool for post-16 mathematics. It's great installed as a smartphone app, but it works well in pads and desktops and notebooks too. Give yourself a mathematical workout!

Maths in the Undergraduate Physical Sciences

Age 16 to 18

An article about the kind of maths a first year undergraduate in physics, engineering and other physical sciences courses might encounter. The aim is to highlight the link between particular maths topics (e.g. complex numbers) and their applications.