Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

In order to access our Advanced Summer Courses in Cambridge, students must have completed at least the second year of an undergraduate qualification (or equivalent) in the same area as the subject they wish to study. To discuss eligibility further, please contact our Admissions team.

For 2024, we are welcoming students to Cambridge for the following Advanced subjects:

• Advanced Biotechnology & Genetics
• Advanced Business and Entrepreneurship
• Advanced Law
• Advanced Mathematics
• Advanced Medicine
• Advanced Neuroscience

The only difference is that tutor-led sessions will use students' established qualifications and level of understanding to further explore the chosen subject.

Just as in Oxford, our small group tutorials and seminars, led by expert tutors, will help prepare you for future academic pursuits and professional careers while considering the experience you already have in your chosen subject. With a dynamic social and cultural programme, you'll gain valuable insights into what it's like to study at Cambridge and create unforgettable memories.

Yes! Our courses can be taken back-to-back, with many students often choosing to stay for 2 or even 3 courses in a row. You can apply directly for multiple courses.

Please click the 'Apply' button on the Oxford Summer Courses website, where you will be directed to our application form. If you are applying for a 9-12 or 13-15-year-olds' course, you will have the option to pay the deposit and/or balance immediately as part of the application process. Details of how to do this will be provided, and through our Flywire payment system, we accept most local methods of payment, including all major credit cards and bank transfers. If you are not given the option to pay a deposit, a member of the Admissions team at Oxford Summer Courses will contact you after your application has been received. We review all applications for academic suitability, so paying upon application does not guarantee you have been accepted onto our courses.

Our Admissions team will be on hand to answer any questions you may have about the course during the application process. Once your application has been accepted and the deposit has been paid, our Student Services team will be in touch with your Welcome Pack. This pack contains more details about your course, such as who you will meet, what your timetable may look like, and where your course may be held.

We will make every adjustment possible to accommodate any medical, learning, or accessibility requirements. We simply ask that these requirements be specified at the application stage so we can confirm them with our hosting organizations. We can also cater to most dietary requirements; however, once again, these must be disclosed in your application. Additionally, please ensure you disclose any requirements in the forms we ask you to submit as part of your onboarding process.

Unfortunately, at this time, Oxford Summer Courses does not offer any scholarships or bursaries for our summer school courses.

You have a 14-day cooling-off period from the initial booking date. Any cancellation request received within the first 14 days will be processed with a full refund. After this period, any refund will be limited to recoverable costs. The initial deposit remains non-refundable after the 14-day cooling-off period. Specific details can be found in our terms and conditions.

Yes, during your time at Oxford Summer Courses summer school, there will be occasional afternoons when we would be happy for you to catch up with your parents. However, this needs to be arranged beforehand to ensure it doesn't affect your studies.

All of our programmes have a full social and cultural programme, delivered by your on-course team. Each programme is slightly different based on age group and course location. For students in the younger age group, activities outside the classroom will focus more on team building and burning off steam after a busy morning of classes. As for our older students, there is a more professional focus with workshops covering topics such as CV writing, interview skills, debates and public speaking. University fairs and guest speakers are arranged to enhance the learning experience. Sample timetables can be provided by our Admissions team during your application.

We are fortunate to have some incredible experiences all within a close distance of our course locations. The cities of Oxford, Cambridge, and London themselves are gems with a range of things to do and places to visit. You will have time to explore these and soak up the atmosphere. Full-day excursions travel further afield, and all our students will get to visit amazing places. Previous students on their full-day excursions have visited the royal residence of Windsor, the Royal Naval Dockyards in Portsmouth, the Roman city of Bath, the Tower of London, and the architecturally stunning Blenheim Palace. The itinerary of the full-day excursion varies according to the date and age group of your Oxford Summer Courses experience, but we aim to provide every student with a varied and exciting cultural programme.

As a general rule, breakfast across all age groups will start at 07:30, with the first class or activity of the day starting at 09:00. In most course age groups, there will also be a Morning Sign-in from 08:30. Our younger students can expect evening activities to finish around 20:00, with lights out set for 21:00. For those 13+, evening activities can finish between 21:30 and 22:00, with lights out by 22:30. Students in the 13-24 course age groups will be staying in University accommodation and so, can expect to do a lot of walking between buildings for lessons, tutorials, seminars, and activities. Your rest will be needed! To get a better idea of what a typical day may look like, please see sample timetables on the individual course pages.

Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are provided on-site for all students in the 9-12 age group. Students in the 13-15 age group will have breakfast, lunch, and dinner all included; dinner will be a mixture of eating out in local restaurants and college-provided, dependent on the site. Students in the 16-17 and 18-24 age group will have breakfast and dinner provided. Lunch is not provided; however, the on-course team will be on hand to suggest excellent local eateries close to the course location so you can truly explore your surroundings and get a sense of the city! Additionally, a highlight for many of our 13-24-year-old students in Oxford and Cambridge during their Oxford Summer Courses experience is the formal three-course banquet held in the college dining rooms after graduation!

All of our course dates are inclusive, meaning the advertised dates include the arrival date and departure date. For example, a course with dates 23rd June to 6th July means you should arrive on the 23rd June and depart on the 6th July. You may arrive in the UK earlier and depart later; however, you will only be allowed on-site from the given start date of your course. You must also leave the course location on the given end date of the course. Check-in for all our courses is from 2 pm on the start date of the course. While you will be required to check out of your room by 10 am and depart the site by 12 pm on the end date. For more information about arrivals and departures, see the Airport Transfers section below.

This is our fantastic team of people, who are dedicated to looking after you and your well-being during your course, and making sure that you get the most out of your course. There is someone in charge of the whole site, and they have a team of leaders and helpers who will look after groups of students. They are all trained in working with young people. Not only are the pastoral teams around whenever you aren’t in an academic session, some of them are subject specialists in their own right and will bring their expertise to subject-specific workshops to expand your academic experience during your summer school.

For 18-24 year olds attending the Oxford Summer Courses summer school, we recommend that £300 will cover additional expenses, including lunches, souvenirs, and free time. For 16-17 year olds at Oxford Summer Courses, we recommend £250. For 13-15 year olds participating in the Oxford Summer Courses summer school, we recommend £200. 9-12 year olds will not need any more than £50 for a week during their summer school.

There is a detailed packing list included in your Welcome Pack. However, the most important things are your travel documents, chargers with UK adaptors for your devices and a range of clothing to suit the variable weather we can experience during a British summer!

Our dedicated Airport Arrival team at London Heathrow Airport all carry proof of identity and an official letter from Oxford Summer Courses confirming their role in the collection of students arriving into the UK. We will provide you, in the weeks before the course start date, with the name, mobile number, and identification details of the team member who will be assigned to collect your child from the airline or border control staff.

All our students studying in the UK during their Oxford Summer Courses summer school are covered under a travel insurance policy – included in your course fee. Please view the Insurance Policy wording on the Policies page of our website.

Please consult the UK government website https://www.gov.uk/check-uk-visa to confirm whether you need a visa. Please enter your Nationality as per your passport, then the purpose of travel as 'Study', and then finally, the duration of your course 'Less than 6 months'. If you require a visa, you should be directed to apply for a 'Standard Visitor Visa'. This page will list all the necessary documents you need to provide in the application for the visa. If you require a Visa, we will provide you with a Visa Support letter once your balance has been paid. Your balance deadline date is 90 days before your course start date; this coincides with the earliest you can apply for your visa, which is 3 months before your arrival date. Having your balance paid before applying for your visa greatly improves your chances of being approved.

As explained and agreed to in our terms and conditions upon application, it is the student's own responsibility to secure a visa to attend your course with us. Therefore, if your visa is rejected, you’re not eligible for a refund. In the event of a visa refusal, we may provide you with a course deferral to allow you time to reapply for a visa. This will only be offered in the first instance of a visa being rejected. In reapplying for your visa, you should take note of why your application has been rejected and action any suggestions given by UKVI. The insurance included in your course does not cover visa rejections.

No. We’d like to make it very clear that we’re not affiliated with any. But, unlike many other summer school courses, our founders were educated at Oxford University. We believe that anyone should be able to experience the magic of Oxford, Cambridge, and the best of British academia, and we benchmark our standards against these universities for your Oxford Summer Courses summer school. Our teaching is inspired by the methodologies used at the University of Oxford and Cambridge. It is designed to help you challenge your ideas and gain a new perspective. Depending on which course you have applied to, you will study within the walls of the University of Oxford, the University of Cambridge, or world-renowned British boarding schools, alongside students from all over the world.

Our tutors at Oxford Summer Courses summer school can support students of all abilities. All we ask of you is to have a genuine passion for your chosen subject and a sufficiently good level of written and spoken English. On application to your summer school, you will be asked to submit a personal statement; you can use this to demonstrate your enthusiasm, previous experience, and interest in your subject with Oxford Summer Courses.

Many of our tutors are academics from across Oxford and Cambridge with experience of the seminar and tutorial methods, which sets Oxford Summer Courses summer school apart from other course providers. For the 9-12 and 13-15 age groups during your summer school, we require tutors to have significant and relevant teaching experience or a teaching qualification so they can best engage, motivate, and lead the students they are working with at Oxford Summer Courses.

Oxford & Cambridge Summer Courses – learning for ages 16-17, 18-24

You will be taught through the highly effective seminar and tutorial method at Oxford Summer Courses. During seminars, you will work directly with a tutor who will introduce a particular topic to you whilst providing their expert support. Between your seminars and tutorials, you will be set independent work by your tutors, such as an essay question or problem sheet, which you will submit to your tutor via email before a set deadline. During your one-hour tutorial with Oxford Summer Courses, you will revisit this piece of work, and you will be able to delve into your topic in further depth with your tutor. One of the key success factors to the Oxford and Cambridge method of learning at Oxford Summer Courses is your own self-directed learning. You will be set wider reading and homework by your tutors in addition to the contact time with them. It is expected that you will complete this to the best of your ability and direct your time accordingly to meet the self-study requirements. In addition, you will have the opportunity to undertake Masterclasses that will develop the wider skills needed to be successful during your summer school. These workshops may include topics such as communication, drawing on your strengths, performance at an elite level, and using your voice effectively.

Oxford & Cambridge Summer Courses – small-group learning for ages 13-15

Working within small groups of eight or fewer during your Oxford Summer Course, you will receive taught and practical teaching sessions from your tutor. These are designed to be interactive and encourage you to work with individuals within your group. Your homework and study time will build on the work that you have been covering in class. In addition, you will participate in workshops that will build and enhance skills required for your present education and future career.

Juniors Programme – small-class teaching for ages 9-12

Your teaching during your Oxford Summer Course will take place in a small class size of fewer than 15 students (divided into 9-10 and 11-12 age groups), and you will be learning in different, fun, and interesting ways. You will also be able to improve your skills when you are working in a group or making presentations. You will get the chance to take part in activity workshops, some of which will feel quite academic, and some which will feel more like play and games. All of our workshops will be with your fellow students from across a variety of subjects so that you can share ideas and learn from each other.

As a general rule, our courses are not credit-bearing. However, our 18-24 courses have been recognised as credit-bearing for students studying in the US, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, and mainland Europe. We will support you with the relevant transcript to ensure your home university recognises your study with us at Oxford Summer Courses with the appropriate level of credit. You are advised to speak to your home university first to obtain their individual requirements as these vary between institutions.

Your certificate will be issued by Oxford Summer Courses and will state your name, subject, and course dates. It will be signed by the founders of Oxford Summer Courses, Harry Hortyn and Robert Phipps. In addition, you will receive written feedback from your tutor at Oxford Summer Courses, which you may wish to use as a reference. These are not documents from the University of Oxford or any of the colleges.

You should ensure you have submitted all required information we have asked from you and read all the documents that have been sent to you via email, such as the Welcome Pack, Student Handbook, and the Programme Overview. In addition to this, you will have been invited to complete the Oxford Summer Courses Foundations. This online pre-course programme prepares you for how you will be taught and the learning methodologies. Furthermore, shortly before your course is due to start, you may be contacted by your tutor with some pre-course reading.

All bedrooms on our courses come equipped with a bed, desk, and storage for your clothes. Standard rooms provide shared access to bathrooms, with no more than four students sharing. Opting for an en-suite room ensures you have a private bathroom attached to your bedroom.

You can request to be roomed next to or near a friend. You should inform your Admissions Advisor at the time of application so we can make notes on your account. If you are not able to do this at the time of application, then you should contact our Student Services team, who will be able to ensure the notes are made. We will try to accommodate your request where possible.

Unfortunately, the course sites are for students and our approved team members only, so parents will not be allowed to stay onsite. However, with all of our course locations being in city or town centres, your parents will have plenty of accommodation options nearby.

Yes. All of our courses are residential, and we cannot accommodate non-residential students.

Students studying with us in the UK during their summer school experience a real university or boarding school lifestyle by staying in historic buildings and locations with Oxford Summer Courses. The UK has only recently started experiencing extreme temperatures in the summer, and some of these historic sites are not equipped with air conditioners for students living on-site during their summer school. Some classrooms are air-conditioned, depending on location, but this is not something we can guarantee at Oxford Summer Courses.

You will stay in a top UK boarding school, which will give you the opportunity to experience British boarding school life during your summer school with Oxford Summer Courses. You will stay in rooms used by pupils during term time and be looked after by a House Parent. Your meals, apart from packed lunches on day trips, will be eaten together as a group in the school dining room or in the boarding house. The accommodation has impressive sports facilities, and you will have the opportunity to play different team sports and take part in inter-house sports competitions.

At Oxford Summer Courses, we take the well-being and safety of our students extremely seriously. Our on-course (pastoral) team is carefully selected, well-trained, and given 24/7 support to ensure that our students have the best experience possible at Oxford Summer Courses. We use the same standards that are applied in UK schools, and we are regularly inspected by the British Accreditation Council. There will always be staff members available at all hours of the day to help with any issues that may arise during your summer school. All of our accommodation sites are closed, meaning that the entrance and exit are security-controlled. Our staff have their own bedrooms located among the students' bedrooms, with genders separated. Depending on their age, students are accompanied by staff members to and from classes, social and cultural activities, and during mealtimes at Oxford Summer Courses. Staff members are also present before and after classes and activities. Registrations and checks take place regularly at the beginning of the day, throughout the day, and at the end of the day.

We maintain a strict pastoral staff-to-student ratio throughout the entirety of every summer school course at Oxford Summer Courses. This ensures that our students are well looked after and safe during your summer school. Please contact our admissions team if you’d like to know the exact ratios for your course, as this varies slightly between courses and age groups at Oxford Summer Courses. Our staffing levels are set to support student supervision levels during your summer school. Supervision levels are dependent on the activity. For example, a film night in the boarding house will have different supervision needs compared to a day trip to London during your summer school. All activities are risk-assessed.

There is some free time in the 13-15, 16-17, and 18-24 course programmes, where students may be permitted to leave the course site and explore the local area. Our rules that are adhered to for student safety are: 13-15 year olds: in groups of at least 3, for short durations (e.g. an hour). 16-17 year olds: in at least pairs, for short durations (e.g. an hour). 18-24 year olds will be allowed to leave the course location alone. However, for fire safety reasons, we ask that they sign in and out of the site. 9-12 year olds will always have staff members with them.

We hope that no one gets ill during their summer school with Oxford Summer Courses, but sometimes it happens. If your child does get ill, our staff will make sure that they can access appropriate medical services to be diagnosed and treated during their summer school with Oxford Summer Courses. The on-course team and House Parents will ensure that they are looked after properly. Although children are generally quick to inform their parents if they become unwell during their summer school with Oxford Summer Courses, we will always ensure that you are fully informed of what is happening, and we will keep you updated. We do our best to maintain your academic programme and may reschedule time with your teacher or tutor once you feel better during your summer school with Oxford Summer Courses. If you choose to end your course early due to illness during your summer school with Oxford Summer Courses, we are unable to refund the cost of your course. You may be covered for the course costs and/or any emergency travel by your holiday/travel insurance (included in the fee for UK-based courses) at Oxford Summer Courses.

From 25th May 2018, we and our college partners have been compliant with the new UK Data Protection Bill based on the EU General Data Protection Regulation for Oxford Summer Courses. We ask for information about you to help us process your application and ensure that we cater to your requirements for your summer school. We pass on relevant data, such as dietary requirements, names, and ages, to our college partners for Oxford Summer Courses. We abide by UK and EU laws when data is required by authorities, although this will be on a case-by-case basis for Oxford Summer Courses. For compliance, you must confirm to us that you give consent for us to use your data in this way, allowing you to attend our courses at Oxford Summer Courses. You can confirm to us that you are happy for us to use your contact details in the future to inform you about our products for Oxford Summer Courses. You can also inform us not to use this information, in which case we will delete your contact details for Oxford Summer Courses. You can read more about data protection in our privacy policy for Oxford Summer Courses.

You may opt out of pictures being taken for marketing purposes during your onboarding. Any photos taken by the on-course team are deleted at the end of the summer school course if they are not used for marketing purposes. The images taken of activities and of the students during their course are also used for course blogs at Oxford Summer Courses. Each course team runs a blog, and the link will be shared at the beginning of the summer school course. We find that these blogs are reassuring and are enjoyed by parents who can see what their children have been doing each day during their summer school at Oxford Summer Courses.

It varies slightly depending on the course you apply for. For Juniors (9-12) and 13-15 courses; all teaching, accommodation with towels and bed linen, pastoral care, activities, excursions, transfers (from and to London Heathrow only and within the specific window), and all meals. For 16-17 and 18-24 everything above is included apart from lunch. Students in this age group will be allowed to explore the local cafes and restaurants in the local area and purchase their own lunch. Also included for all students is travel insurance and Oxford Summer Courses backpack and other merchandise. The full policy document can be found on the Policies page of our website.

Students staying with us for more than one course will be catered for throughout the changeover weekend. This includes all accommodation, transport between cities if courses are in different locations, meals (including lunches for our under 16s), and an additional excursion or activity on the Saturday (departure day of the first course). On the Sunday (arrival day of the second course), students will join the new course and meet their new course mates.

If there is any problem with your summer school course, we want to be the first to hear about it. If you’re experiencing a problem during the summer school course, please contact your Course Director at Oxford Summer Courses. If you’re experiencing a problem before or after the summer school course, please contact our Student Services team via the email address you have or the contact us form.

Yes – you’ll have access to WiFi networks that function where you are staying and studying at the summer school. There are also often WiFi networks available throughout the city where your Oxford Summer Courses are located.

Students are strongly encouraged to bring their own laptop if they have one (make sure that you bring the right charger!). It is possible to complete all of our summer school courses without a laptop or similar device, except for Computer Science, but it is recommended that students work as they would at university, which for us means using laptops. Oxford Summer Courses does not provide laptops, and you are responsible for the safety and security of your hardware, although all students have access to a lockable space. If you bring any valuables, please ensure you have the relevant insurance.

We want students to enjoy their time with us and make the most of the summer school courses that they are enrolled in; making new friends, taking part in activities, and studying with top teachers. We feel this is best done without the distraction of phones and personal electronic devices (PEDs), and we encourage our students to be mindful of this. While students are permitted to bring phones and PEDs to dinner, activities, and day trips, our staff will encourage them to interact with others to build great friendships rather than use their devices. As with all personal possessions, our 13-24-year-old summer school students are responsible for their own devices. Our 9-12-year-old summer school students are allowed to bring their phones when they join us; however, all of the Juniors sites operate a ‘restricted screen-time’ policy. Students will have their phones and PEDs for specified periods during ‘free time’. This is time that is set aside from study and group activities for students to hang out with their new friends or call home. Our highly trained staff will ensure that all phones and PEDs are collected and safely secured outside of ‘free time’ and day trips. Robust procedures will ensure that students remain safe and contactable throughout their time with Oxford Summer Courses.

Students participating in the summer school courses are responsible for arranging their own flights/transportation to and from the UK for their courses.

All of our course dates are inclusive, meaning the advertised dates include the arrival date and departure date. For example, a course with dates 23rd June to 6th July means you should arrive on the 23rd of June and depart on the 6th of July. You may arrive at the UK earlier; however, you will only be allowed on-site from the given start date of your course.

All of our course dates are inclusive, meaning the advertised dates include the arrival date and departure date. For example, a course with dates 23rd June to 6th July means you should arrive on the 23rd of June and depart on the 6th July. You must leave the course location on the given end date of the course. You will be required to check out of your room by 10 am and depart site by 12 pm on the end date.

We offer a complimentary airport transfer service from Heathrow Airport, all terminals, for all flights arriving between 08:00 - 15:00 for our summer school students at Oxford Summer Courses.

If your flight arrives outside of this time at Heathrow or from another airport, you will need to arrange your own transportation to your course at Oxford Summer Courses summer school.

Transfers can be arranged to Heathrow Airport only. This will be arranged by your on-course staff at Oxford Summer Courses' summer school; they will confirm your departure flight on your check-in day, then you will receive confirmation of your taxi transfer to the airport during your course.

Yes, we do! This service, provided by Oxford Summer Courses' summer school, costs £145; students will travel to the airport and be met by the "unaccompanied minors" supervisor who will escort students and help them with the check-in process so that they are safely handed over to the care of the airline's designated staff member. Please ensure that all airline conditions for unaccompanied minor travel are met: every airline is different!

We will provide you with a contact number closer to arrivals. This will be monitored by staff on the ground and a team member in the head office who will also be monitoring the emails. This service is provided by Oxford Summer Courses.

No, this service is for students only.

Unfortunately, we are unable to arrange accommodation for additional nights, so you will need to arrive and depart according to your course dates.

Check-in is between 14:00 and 16:00 on the start date of your course. We will send out information about the exact check-in location closer to the start of your course. It will be clearly signposted on the day.

On the departure day, students must check out of their rooms by 10:00 and depart the site by 12:00.

If your arrival flight is cancelled / rescheduled / delayed, you should notify us via email and phone ASAP. We will work with you to try and organise a replacement transfer if your flight is still due to land on the same date. If your flight arrives the next day, you will need to organise a transfer from the airport to the course location. Rest assured, we will have a dedicated transfer team member available to offer support and advise. If your departure flight is cancelled / rescheduled / delayed, you should inform the on-course team ASAP. If your flight still departs on the same day, we will work with you to try and organise a replacement transfer. If your flight departs the next day, we will assist you in sourcing suitable accommodation either in your course location or at the airport. The costs associated with this may be recoverable from the airline directly or the travel insurance included in the course package.