What Is Oxford Summer Courses?

Providing short and intensive courses for students aged 9-to-24, Oxford Summer Courses offers ambitious young students an authentic taste of the Oxbridge experience.

Where are Oxford Summer Courses Hosted?

For ages 9-12, our junior summer courses are hosted at renowned boarding schools including Harrow School, Eton College, and St. John's Beaumont. For ages 13-24, our summer courses are hosted in Cambridge and Oxford University colleges. Apply now to secure your spot in one of our prestigious summer courses.

What is Oxford Summer Courses?

First established in 2010 by school friends and Oxford alumni, Rob and Harry, Oxford Summer Courses has grown from their passion to share their exceptional time at the University of Oxford with the rest of the world.

Many things have changed since we began in 2010; from beginning with just 30 students, we now cater to over 2,500; from just a handful of tutors in the beginning, we now have grown to a cohort of 200 – some of whom have been with us since day one!

Oxford Summer Courses has also shot to international acclaim, and now in addition to locations in the UK we run courses in India, Chile, Peru, Singapore and Stanford, USA, with several new locations in the pipeline.

Who can study at Oxford Summer Courses?

Our summer courses are open to students between the ages of 9 and 24 years-old from all around the world. We pride ourselves on our international community, having welcomed students from over 110 different countries back in 2019.

Students are taught in small groups, composed of others of a similar age. These age groups are currently as follows:

• 9-12 years (junior courses)
• 13-15 years
• 16-17 years
• 18-24 years

Where can I study at Oxford Summer Courses?

Many students who join us have a desire to experience life in the university cities of Oxford and Cambridge. These locations offer the opportunity to live and study in one of the colleges which are part of these internationally acclaimed universities, offering a truly inspiring experience.

Spending the summer in cities as historic as these is an unparalleled opportunity. Students can spend two weeks living amongst the golden architecture and dreaming spires that have inspired some of the greatest minds in the world, all while making new, lifelong friendships with their course mates.

Beyond this, we also offer project-based learning courses in London, giving students a chance to learn in one of Europe’s most thriving cities. With group projects aimed at solving real-world challenges, it’s a chance to get hands-on and gain practical knowledge for your future career.

What will my Oxford Summer Courses experience be like?

Here at Oxford Summer Courses, we want you to discover an unforgettable summer experience. That’s why beyond your academia, we collate an enriching extracurricular timetable of activities to give you an authentic student experience.

Expect an experience like no other; imagine meals spent at the university’s historic dining halls, studying in the historic walls which have inspired some of the most academically-curious, and warm summer evenings spent exploring everything your city has to offer.

Keep reading to learn more about what you can expect during your time with us:

Learning

For courses in Oxford and Cambridge, your teaching will follow the methods used at these universities. Each week you’ll prepare for seminars and/or tutorials, depending on your age group.

These will give you an opportunity to take part in thought-provoking debate and have the chance to develop your research and presentation skills in your chosen subject with expert tutors. During these sessions, our tutors will be there to guide and inspire you. They want to hear what you think and why – and help bring out the very best in you. You’ll learn new ways to think, marshal evidence and defend your opinions with flexibility and flair.

For those students who study on our project-based courses in London, you’ll be working as part of a team to solve a complex real-life problem, guided by an expert tutor. You’ll need to collaborate with your group and get feedback from your peers to succeed and solve your project. In taught sessions, your tutor will equip you with the practical subject knowledge required to address the problem you have been assigned.

There’s also an opportunity to learn from the industry experts themselves, with scheduled day trips to leading businesses in the city. So you can gain insider knowledge on what it takes to lead an empire.

Expert tutors

Your summer course will be taught by one of our expert tutors, selected for their incredibly detailed knowledge of your chosen subject and ability to teach high-potential students.

Many of our tutors are Oxford or Cambridge scholars, many of whom are internationally recognised as leading industry experts. So when you join us, you’ll know that you really are being taught by the best.

Extracurricular activities

As mentioned, your time at Oxford Summer Courses is designed to be so much more than just an intellectually-stimulating experience. That’s why you’ll benefit from a range of extracurricular activities and day trips during your course, designed to inspire and teach you more about student life here in the UK.

As standard, expect day trips to some of the UK’s most interesting heritage sites, evenings spent enjoying a range of local student activities, including punting, as well as a formal graduation at the end of your course, dining in the college’s historic Dining Hall and celebrating with a formal certificate ceremony.

Lifelong friendships

When we speak to our students about their Oxford Summer Courses experience, one of the things we hear most often is; “I really have made friends for life.”

During your course, you’ll be joined by other academically-curious students from all over the world, many of whom share the same interests and passion for learning as you. Much of your free time will be spent getting to know each other and embarking on this exciting learning journey together - the perfect opportunity to grow friendships and that will last forever.

What subjects can I study at Oxford Summer Courses?

With over 50 courses to choose from, we offer a range of core and elective subjects, inspired by some of the top university courses here in the UK. Students can select a course that matches their academic interests and talents, with the following subject groups available:

• Arts and Humanities
• Business, Economics and Law
• History, Politics and Social Sciences
• Medicine and Sciences
• Tech, Engineering and Mathematics

Divided into age-specific groupings, your teaching will be tailored to your academic level of understanding.

Why Should I Study at Oxford Summer Courses?

We believe that our range of locations, subjects, and teaching approaches allows us to give our students a truly unique and unforgettable learning experience.

For example, not only are our students in London networking with industry experts, and presenting to potential future employers, they are also utilising the city as their classroom and developing project-based learning skills, which will carry them through university.

Likewise, on our junior courses, our students are immersed in their subjects, while also learning about life at a top British boarding school and beginning to explore potential future career paths.

Meanwhile, our Oxford and Cambridge summer courses immerse students in a traditional Oxbridge learning environment, with students staying and studying in the same colleges which have educated some of the greatest minds in history for nearly 1,000 years. Many of our tutors have also taught or studied at the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge too, giving students the most authentic experience of student life at these esteemed institutions.

Our courses aim not only to encourage academic progression in our students, but also to develop their wider skill set, to ensure their future success. Part of a student’s time with us will include participating in at least one workshop - designed to hone in on and improve a range of soft skills, including communication, teamwork, and time-management.

We also believe innovation is at the centre of our course planning and evolution, as we identify new areas of opportunity – such as our online learning courses, while also constantly improving our courses to fit the changing needs of students today.

What Makes Oxford Summer Courses Different to Other Summer Schools?

Being different from the competition is part of what motivated Rob and Harry to establish Oxford Summer Courses in the first place.

There were already plenty of organisations offering summer schools in the city and around the world, but none of them really offered an authentic slice of Oxford life. This is what they wanted to give our students – and so, they employed Oxbridge tutors, hosted the courses in Oxford colleges, and crafted the courses to represent the unique mix of challenging academics and an enriching social life that a university learning experience offered them.

Ready to Join Oxford Summer Courses?

After submitting your application, we'll be in touch very soon to inform you of the outcome. Apply now to begin your journey with Oxford Summer Courses!