Frequently Asked Questions

We carefully select and train the best qualified tutors for each course. Our tutors are subject experts from world-class institutions, including the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge. Learn more about our tutors here.

All students who successfully complete one of our courses will receive an Oxford Scholastica Academy Certificate of Achievement upon programme completion.

Students who meet our criteria will also be awarded a personalised Letter of Recommendation from their tutor, highlighting their academic performance, strengths, participation and more.

We’ll sit down with you at the end of your first course to discuss what you’d like to do in your second two weeks (e.g. whether you’d like to participate in some of the activities again or whether you’d prefer to do something different).

Please click here to apply for your place and pay your deposit (£995). Our admissions panel will assess your application and will be in touch to confirm whether you have been accepted onto the programme. If for any reason you’re not accepted, your deposit will be refunded in full.

The only elements not included in the fee are your lunches (you’ll be able to explore Oxford with your new friends over lunch) and, if you’re travelling from abroad, your flights and airport transfers (we can help to arrange transfers from the airport).

Rather than offering a small number of full-course scholarships to our programmes, we maximise our impact by delivering thousands of hours of free mentoring and academic guidance each year. Read more about our social impact.

No. There are no Oxford summer schools affiliated with Oxford University. Whilst we use Oxford University facilities, and a number of our tutors teach or study at the university, it’s important to understand that we have no formal connection with the University of Oxford (read more about our relationship here).

We have three entry requirements:

i) You must be aged between 11-18 years old at the start of your chosen course.

ii) You must be motivated to learn more about the subject you wish to study (there’s space for you to write a personal statement on our registration form).

iii) You must be able to speak, read and understand English well. Though we require no formal testing, our minimum English level is Common European Framework Level C1, which equates to IELTS 6.5. If you’d like to arrange a call to check whether you have the right level of English, please feel free to contact us.

We don’t have any academic prerequisites, as for many of our students this will be their first time exploring the subject. However, we do need to see clear evidence of motivation to join the course.

We do accept bright, mature 11 year olds onto our Discover Academy courses (designed for ages 12-14), so please do submit an application here. If you’d like to discuss your specific situation, please contact us and we’ll be happy to advise you.

We do sometimes allow bright, mature 14 year olds to join our Experience Academy courses (designed for ages 15-18), so please do submit an application here. If you’d like to discuss your specific situation, please contact us and we’ll be happy to advise you.

We understand that plans can change. If you need to reschedule your course dates or cancel your place entirely, you have 14 days from the date of your deposit payment to receive a full refund of your deposit.

Once the balance has been paid, our refund policy follows a sliding scale:

• Cancellations on or before 30th April: full refund of the balance paid
• Cancellations between 1st May and 15th May: 50% refund of the balance paid
• Cancellations between 16th May and 31st May: 10% refund of the balance paid

Yes, boys and girls are separated in the accommodation, either by floor or by corridor.

If you’re attending with a friend or family member, we know how important it is that you’re placed together! As long as you’re in the same age group, we’ll make sure to put you in the same building. If you’d like to share a room with a friend, just let us know in your Student Information Form which we’ll send you after your place is confirmed (please note, we have a small number of twin rooms which are always popular).

Each year we welcome students who choose to live outside our accommodation, such as with family members. We’re happy to recommend convenient nearby options as well. Students who arrange their own accommodation receive a £500 discount on their fees while enjoying full access to the rest of the programme. To apply, simply register your place and reply to our email letting us know you won’t be needing accommodation.

Each day, we provide both breakfast and dinner. A continental breakfast is provided at the accommodation and we eat dinner as a group at local restaurants or in college. At lunchtime, our students have the opportunity to explore Oxford, where there are lots of cheap and healthy lunch options.

If you have an allergy, please inform us when you book so we can advise on how we can best support you. Our Allergies Policy is available upon request.

Our accommodation is staffed around the clock, with residential team members always on site. During the summer school, we also provide a 24-hour emergency phone line that students, family and friends can call at any time. In addition to collecting contact details from parents or guardians, we ask students to supply an alternative emergency contact as a precaution.

Our students follow a full schedule of classes and activities, so we always know where they are. If they choose to use their free time to explore Oxford, they must sign in and out using our register. Students on our Discover Academy courses are asked to stay in groups of at least two when outside our accommodation.

From dinner time onwards, all students are supervised. They must either join a group activity or relax at our accommodation.

Oxford is a safe city. We use secure Oxford University accommodation, and student buildings can only be accessed through a fob/key, which also enables them to lock their doors. We have a safe in the main staff office where students can choose to deposit items such as passports, bank cards, travel documents and other items of value.

Upon arrival, we hold a Welcome Drinks event for all parents and students on the first Sunday afternoon at the Saïd Business School which you are warmly invited to.

Parents are also welcome to visit their child during the programme (we ask you to let us know before you visit so that we can let you know if your child would miss any academic content or other activities).

We appreciate that travelling can be a bit daunting and we’re here to help!

If you’re flying, we recommend arriving at London Heathrow airport. Our friendly staff members will be present there on our arrival and departure days to help you find your way to your preferred method of transport. We’ll also give you their phone number so you can contact them if there are any problems.

If you’ve booked our Oxford Scholastica airport transfer service, which goes directly from Heathrow to our campus, you’ll receive detailed instructions and photographs on how to find our central meeting point at the airport.

If you’ve booked a taxi through our link to a chauffeur firm, your driver will meet you at arrivals. They’ll have your name on a board to confirm you’re the right person and they’ll then bring you directly to our campus.

We want to make your travelling experience as easy and stress-free as possible, so please contact us if you have any questions.

Visas

If you’re from the UK, European Union or the European Economic Area, you shouldn’t need a visa. If you’re from another country, we recommend you click here to find out more information about whether you’ll need a visa.

As we are fully accredited by the British Accreditation Council, we are able to welcome students who need a visa. We will issue you with an official stamped acceptance letter so you can use it to apply for your visa. By law we can only provide this once you have paid all the fees for your place, so we typically issue your letter from April each year.

It can take a while for visas to be processed, so please let us know as soon as possible after you’ve paid the balance if you require a letter from us. You’ll need to make sure you apply for your visa with plenty of time to spare before the summer school starts.

Please note, we can only offer informal advice on visas. It is your responsibility to check the latest information and make sure you apply for the correct visa in a timely manner. If you have an existing visa, it is also important to check that your visa allows you to study with us.

If your visa application is rejected, unfortunately we cannot offer a refund outside of the refund period outlined in our terms and conditions.

Electronic Travel Authorisations (ETA)

The UK government have introduced Electronic Travel Authorisations (ETAs) for visitors. If you’re travelling to the UK this summer, you’ll need either a UK passport, a valid visa or an ETA. This applies to everyone, including children. It’s a quick process, but it’s very important to arrange or you won’t be allowed into the country – you can check if you need an ETA (and apply for one) by clicking here.

Students are welcome to check in any time between 12pm-5pm on the arrival Sunday.

If you’d prefer to arrive earlier in the day, that’s no problem. Your room might not quite be ready but we’re happy to store your bags while you explore the city in the meantime. Please let us know in advance if you’ll be arriving before 12pm so we can do our best to ensure your room is prepared.

If you need to arrive on an earlier day, please let us know and we’ll always try our best to help. If you’re arriving in Oxford as a family, we have created our own guide to our Favourite Oxford Hotels for your convenience.

We’ll ask you to vacate your room by 9am on the final day. You’re welcome to stay in the accommodation building until 12pm but most of our students tend to head home around 10am.

If you’d like to stay for additional days, here is our guide to the best local hotels.

Our terms and conditions require you to take out comprehensive insurance for things like health, contents and travel. This should also cover you in case you have to cancel your place on the summer school. If you have to cancel, we unfortunately cannot offer a refund outside of the refund period.

We have a casual dress code at Oxford Scholastica. As the courses run during the summer, you should bring clothing that is suitable for warm temperatures. However, England is renowned for rapid changes of weather – so be prepared for this too!

There are two occasions when you’ll want to wear something a bit more formal: our Graduation Ceremony and the Oxford Scholastica International Ball. For the Graduation Ceremony, we ask that you dress at least smart-casual. For the International Ball, it’s really up to you! We encourage you to consider wearing something that represents whichever country you call home.

We recommend bringing a pair of durable shoes that are comfortable to walk in for longer periods of time. Oxford is a relatively spread out city so there’ll be a fair amount of walking. If you’re planning to take part in any of our sporting activities, we also recommend bringing a pair of trainers.

You can find more information on what to bring in our Welcome Pack which we’ll send to you after your place is confirmed.

If you’re studying on our Experience Computer Science & Coding Academy or our Discover Technology Academy, you must bring a laptop rather than a tablet.

We do not recommend bringing large amounts of physical cash. There are plenty of banks and ATMs across Oxford and we recommend you bring a credit/debit card if you can. Apple Pay and Google Pay are also widely accepted.

If you’re studying on our Experience Computer Science & Coding Academy or our Discover Technology Academy, a laptop is essential.