Online Summer School

Our online summer courses run for two age groups: 12-14 year olds, and 15-18 year olds. We’re always keen to welcome students who have a genuine interest in the subject that they would like to pursue, and who will be engaged, curious, active members of the group.

We don’t have any academic prerequisites, outside of a functional level of English language, as many of our students have never been exposed to their chosen subject before; instead we look for motivation and mindset. Students are required to submit a brief personal statement alongside their application, and our Head of Student Experience will be in touch if we require any further clarification.

Our in-person Oxford summer courses and our online summer courses have been developed separately, to ensure students have the best possible experience no matter how they choose to join us.

Our online programmes focus primarily on subject-specific academics, with two short socials per week, and two masterclasses to complement your regular classes. You’ll have two hours of class per day, and will be expected to complete two hours of independent work outside of class, but the rest of the day is yours. These courses are also not residential, so you can complete them from wherever you are in the world.

By contrast, our in-person Oxford Summer School is a full, residential cultural experience, as well as rigorous academic programme. Students join us for two or four weeks, stay in university student accommodation, and take part in day trips, traditional activities from punting to brunch at Corpus Christi College, and much more. Students still have two hours of class per day, and two hours of independent study, and also take part in a six hour academic challenge on their first Friday with us.

Many students choose to join us both online and in person in Oxford. We’d be happy to discuss which type of programme might be the best fit for you – please contact us.

• Learn: our students learn in the classroom and in our skills-based Masterclasses (covering topics such as Resilience, Debating, Social Impact and more)
• See: our students get to study alongside tutors who are working and studying to high levels in the field they’re interested in pursuing, enabling them to see what their future could look like in a few years
• Do: our online classes are designed to be as interactive as possible in all subjects, whether that’s examining real x-rays in Medicine or taking part in moot courts in Law

 
In other words, our courses tend to be a bit more hands-on and inspirational than many other programmes.

There isn’t an upper limit, and many of our students return to explore different subjects in subsequent online courses, or explore particular areas of interest in our research internships. Our online courses are usually scheduled at the same time, so students can take subsequent courses, but would not be able to attend more than one online course at once.

Internships take place over the weekends, so it is possible to take a course and an internship concurrently, but students should be aware that both programmes have independent study commitments, so they should make sure they have enough free time throughout the week to complete this to a high standard for both.

Absolutely! The only thing you need to join our online courses is a stable internet connection and a quiet space that allows you to focus and contribute without distractions or disturbance.

Our courses are very interactive, so you’ll need to make sure you can turn your camera on and unmute your microphone – this will allow you to make the most of the course.

It’s also worth checking that the timings match your time zone and existing commitments, but we have had students successfully join us from just about every time zone for our online courses.