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UK Youth Rocketry Competition (UKROC)

When: Wednesday 3 December 2025 to Saturday 18 April 2026

The Widening Participation Team, in collaboration with Peryton Space, are sponsoring 5x teams to enter the UK Youth Rocketry Competition (UKROC) 2026.

Pitched towards KS4 & KS5 students, this is an extracurricular opportunity that invites learners to apply their maths and physics skills within an engineering challenge. With the support of our student mentors, teams of between 3-6 students will design and construct their rocket, with exclusive access to University of Surrey facilities, before entering the regional UKROC finals on Saturday 18 April.

Moreover, all construction materials, and associated building and transport costs will be covered by the University of Surrey.

How does it work?

The University of Surrey is offering to sponsor 5x teams to enter UKROC. To further increase representation of state-maintained schools and FE/Sixth Form providers within the competition, we are inviting local schools and colleges to register their interest by Friday 24 October.

To be considered for the competition and our sponsorship, schools/colleges must:

In return, the University of Surrey will offer:

Key Dates

FAQs

The UK Youth Rocketry Competition (UKROC) is an annual project and competition that invites schools and youth groups to design and build a functioning rocket. Working in teams of 3-6, 11- 18 year olds enter the engineering challenge, construct a rocket that can be launched at the regional finals. Teams that perform the best at regional finals will then be entered into a national final before an international final.  Schools and youth groups are responsible for their respective team and the nominating teacher must be the named contact when entering the competition formally. You can read further information about the competition on the UKROC website.

Peryton Space are a student society, at the University of Surrey, who have secured funding to mentor and sponsor 5x teams to enter UKROC. Consisting of UG and PG students, our team of mentors will be able to provide their expertise and insight towards the design and construction. The mentors will be present at each visit to the University of Surrey and available to meet the team on video calls and/or arrange in-school visits. All mentors are DBS checked and have received appropriate safeguarding training. You can read more about Peryton Space on their website.

Due to the funding for this opportunity, each team must represent a state-maintained school or college. We recommend that the team then consists of members who are interested in:

  • Maths
  • Physics
  • Engineering
  • Space

Where there is an increased demand for places, we ask that learners who meet the following eligibility criteria receive priority place:

  • They live in an IMD Decile 1 or 2 postcode*
  • They live in a POLAR4 Quintile 1 postcode**
  • They have received Free School Meals within the last 6 years
  • They have a diagnosed disability or long-term health condition
  • They are a young carer
  • They have experience of living within care
  • They are a forced migrant (a refugee or an asylum-seeking young person)
  • They have a parent who has served in the Armed Forces or as a Reservist
  • They are from a Gypsy, Roma or Traveller community

*Indices of Multiple Deprivation are commonly used datasets to clarify relative deprivation within smaller areas of the UK.

**POLAR4 classifies progression rates of young people into Higher Education within local areas of the UK.

You can find IMD and POLAR4 look-up tools on our website under the Surrey Scholars tab.

To register your interest in receiving University of Surrey sponsorship, please complete our registration form by Friday 24 October 2025.

We will then notify schools/colleges whether they have been selected for sponsorship from Monday 3 November 2025. If you have any further questions or queries, please contact wp@surrey.ac.uk

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