OXBRIDGE SUMMER SCHOLARS

A well-run summer programme can help in three ways:

1. it keeps skills in practice over a long break,
2. it gives time for subjects the school timetable has no room for,
3. it lets students try university-level study before they apply.

While traditional school holidays are important for rest and relaxation, they can also lead to learning loss, whereby students forget important concepts from the previous year.
Summer learning helps to reinforce knowledge, keep students academically engaged and prepare them for future challenges. It also provides the freedom to explore new subjects, develop personal interests and build confidence in a less pressured environment.
In this article, we will explore the key advantages of summer education, from preventing learning loss to gaining a head start academically, developing new skills and boosting motivation.
Rest still matters. The aim is not to replace the summer break, but to make good use of part of it. Below, we examine what the research says, focusing on teenagers where the evidence is more limited than for younger children, and what to look for in a programme.

Does summer learning prevent learning loss?

The long summer break can lead to a phenomenon known as "summer learning loss." This occurs when students take an extended academic break, causing them to forget some of the knowledge and skills they acquired during the previous school year. Studies have shown that students who do not engage in any learning activities over the summer can lose several months’ worth of progress, particularly in subjects like math and language arts.

By participating in structured summer learning, students can reinforce their existing knowledge, ensuring that they return to school feeling confident and prepared. Even short, focused study sessions can make a significant difference. A few hours a week spent reviewing concepts, engaging in discussions, or working on creative projects can help maintain academic momentum and make the transition back to school much smoother.

Unlike traditional school settings, summer learning programmes offer a more flexible and engaging approach to education. Whether through interactive lessons, project-based learning, or small-group discussions, these programmes keep students intellectually active while still allowing them to enjoy their summer. By staying mentally engaged, students not only prevent learning loss but also develop better study habits, improved critical thinking skills, and a love of learning.

Partly, and the evidence is clearest for younger students. A review of 39 studies, with a meta-analysis of the 13 most recent, found that test scores fell by about one month of learning on average over the summer, and that the negative effect grew with students’ grade level (Cooper et al., 1996). The loss was somewhat larger in maths than in reading.For teenagers the evidence is thinner. A study of 191 ninth-grade students in Turkey looked at learning losses in maths, literature and English over the summer holiday and at how they related to family education (Sezgin, Erdoğan and Dağ, 2020). Even so, for students who are about to start exam courses or university applications, staying in practice over the summer is a sensible precaution.

What does the evidence show?

Several studies shape what we know, and none of them examines an international academic summer programme like OSS directly, so they are indications, not proof. Read together, they suggest that how a programme is run matters as much as the fact that it takes place in summer.

How can summer learning help students get ahead academically?

It lets students study at a higher level than school allows and concentrate on one or two subjects without the distractions of a full timetable. Many summer schools offer advanced courses in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics), languages and the humanities. For older students this can mean university-level teaching, with lectures, discussion and independent reading.

The closest research on college-level study comes from the US. The What Works Clearinghouse found that dual enrolment programmes, in which high school students take college courses, have positive effects on college access and enrolment, credit accumulation and degree attainment. These are credit-bearing courses, so the result does not transfer directly to a summer programme. It does suggest that first-hand experience of university-level teaching helps students who are preparing to apply.

Reviews of summer schools in general give a similar message about quality. The Education Endowment Foundation’s Teaching and Learning Toolkit, which summarises 69 studies, estimates an average gain of about three months of additional progress, rates the security of the evidence as low, and finds larger gains where teaching is intensive, in small groups and delivered by trained, experienced teachers.

What new skills and interests can students develop?

The school year leaves little room to try something new. A summer programme lets students test a subject before committing to it, and a negative result is a useful result too: finding out what you do not want to study saves time later. At Oxbridge Summer Scholars, students choose from four streams:

• Stream A: Science, Innovation and Technology
• Stream B: Medical and Biological Sciences
• Stream C: Business, Economics, and Entrepreneurship
• Stream D: Law, Politics, and International Relations

Beyond the subject itself, students practise skills that school rarely tests directly, such as discussing ideas with tutors, defending a point of view and working with peers from other countries. Students on OSS programmes in Oxford and Cambridge come from 49 different countries, which is especially useful for students thinking about studying abroad.

Last updated: October 2026. Prices and dates are the published 2027 figures. Confirm them with each provider before you book.

Oxford and Cambridge summer schools can look similar in the brochures, but they differ in how they organise teaching, how large the groups are, what the rooms are like, and what the fee covers. This guide sets the main 2027 options side by side, using each provider's own published information.

A note on scope: we compare programmes that run in Oxford and Cambridge. Many of these providers also operate in other cities, including London, Paris, Barcelona, New York, Singapore and Tokyo. The table lists every location we found, while the details and prices refer to the Oxford and Cambridge programmes.

One disclosure up front. We run Oxbridge Summer Scholars (OSS), which appears below. We've listed ourselves in the same format as everyone else, in alphabetical order, and stated only what we publish. Where a provider doesn't publish a figure, we say "not stated" rather than guess.

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Oxford and Cambridge summer schools compared at a glance (2027)

"Not stated" means we couldn't find the figure in the provider's 2027 materials. Immerse Education hadn't published 2027 prices for Oxford and Cambridge when we checked, so its 2026 price is shown. Oxbridge Academic Programs quotes its prices in US dollars, with a higher price from 1 January 2027, and describes ages by US school grade, so the sterling cost depends on the exchange rate.

How we compared the programmes

The information comes from each provider's website and its 2027 brochure or prospectus, collected in 2026. We compared the things families ask about most: locations, age groups, dates, teaching format, class size, rooms, price and financial aid. Programmes for which we found no 2027 information are left out. Where only part of the 2027 information is published, as with Immerse Education, we say so. We haven't rated or ranked anyone. This is a comparison of published facts, not a verdict on quality. If you represent one of these providers and spot an out-of-date detail, let us know through our contact page, and we'll correct it.

What to check before you choose

What kind of teaching is it, and how big are the groups?

A lecture is one expert speaking to a large group. A seminar is a discussion in a smaller group. A tutorial, the traditional Oxford and Cambridge format, puts one tutor with a very small group of students. Providers use these words loosely, so look at the group size attached to each one. The published figures are:

• Academy Royale International (formerly Oxford Royale): not stated.
• Atlas Summer Courses: seminars of up to 10; tutorials with two students per instructor.
• Immerse Education: 4 to 10 students per class, average 7 (some course pages say 8 to 12).
• International Summer School for Teens and Oxbridge Academic Programs: both describe their classes as small but publish no figure.
• Oxbridge Summer Scholars (OSS): lectures of about 40, seminars of 10 to 20, tutorials of 2 to 8 students.
• Oxford Scholastica: classes of up to 15.

Also look at what sits around the classes. Some programmes add an individual or personal project, masterclasses or workshops, and these shape the experience as much as group size does.

Single subject or several?

Providers split into two approaches. Course-based programmes, such as Atlas and Immerse Education, have students choose one subject and study it throughout. Others combine subjects. OSS uses interdisciplinary streams, and Academy Royale's 2027 "New Perspectives" and "Broadening Horizons" options let students take two or three subjects. Neither approach is better in general. It depends on whether the student already knows what they want to study.

What are the rooms like?

Bathroom arrangements vary by provider and sometimes by location. Academy Royale rooms are predominantly shared-bathroom, with a paid en-suite reservation on selected courses. Atlas offers three tiers: Plus (shared bathroom), and Superior and Premier (private room and bathroom). Immerse Education doesn't publish a single policy. The International Summer School for Teens gives each student a private en-suite bedroom at Oxford. At Oxbridge Academic Programs, rooms are singles or doubles, and a private bathroom is available for a fee on most programmes. OSS uses single bedrooms with shared or en-suite bathrooms, depending on the college. Oxford Scholastica offers en-suite or standard rooms.

What does the fee include?

Providers describe inclusions in different ways, so it helps to read each fee page. Atlas lists meals, a certificate, a standard Heathrow transfer and insurance. Immerse Education lists tuition, accommodation, meals, materials and its activity programme. The International Summer School for Teens lists tuition, en-suite accommodation, three meals a day, medical and travel insurance, airport transfers from selected airports, activities and excursions. OSS includes college accommodation, full board on weekdays, half board at weekends, all tutoring, trips and extracurricular activities, and 24/7 supervision by trained staff. Oxford Scholastica provides breakfast and dinner daily. Travel to the UK is usually arranged separately, so check this with each provider.

Is financial aid available?

Immerse Education offers essay-competition scholarships, a need-based bursary and partner-school scholarships. Oxbridge Academic Programs awards selective partial scholarships based on academic performance, financial need, and an application essay. The John Locke Institute says about one in five students receives support. Oxford Scholastica's scholarships go through partner charities such as IntoUniversity and The Access Project. Academy Royale, Atlas, the International Summer School for Teens, and OSS don't currently offer financial aid.

Which age group applies?

Age bands differ, and a student near a boundary can land in a different group at each provider. A 15-year-old is in the older group at Oxford Scholastica (15 to 18) but the younger group at Academy Royale (12 to 15), and sits in the Junior programme at OSS (14 to 15). Check which group applies, because the teaching format changes with it.

The programmes, one by one

Listed alphabetically.

Academy Royale International (formerly Oxford Royale)

• Where: Oxford (Balliol, St Peter's, St Catherine's) and Cambridge (Clare College). Academy Royale also runs programmes at Marlborough College.
• Ages: 12 to 15 and 16 to 18.
• Dates: two weeks. Oxford starts 4 July, 18 July and 1 August 2027; Cambridge starts 4 July and 18 July.
• Subjects: younger students choose from AI, business and entrepreneurship, engineering and design, film, law and justice, and medicine and modern healthcare, among others. Older students choose from architecture, business, economics and finance, engineering, law, medicine, psychology and international relations.
• Teaching: seminars, workshops and projects. "New Perspectives" lets younger students study two subjects plus a "Power Skills" workshop, and "Broadening Horizons" lets older students choose three. Class size isn't stated.
• Rooms: predominantly shared bathrooms; a paid en-suite reservation is available on selected courses.
• Financial aid: none.

Atlas Summer Courses (formerly Oxford Summer Courses)

• Where: Oxford (Somerville, St Hilda's, St Anne's) and Cambridge (Fitzwilliam, Sidney Sussex, Murray Edwards, Newnham). Atlas also runs programmes at Harrow School, and interest registration is open for programmes in the USA.
• Ages: 13 to 15, 16 to 17, 18 to 24.
• Dates: two-week courses. Oxford start dates run from 27 June to 15 August 2027; Cambridge from 27 June to 1 August.
• Subjects: five areas: humanities and writing; business and economics; sciences and medicine; maths, engineering and technology; law, politics and society.
• Teaching: seminars of up to 10 students, tutorial-style sessions with two students per instructor for ages 16 and over, and independent study.
• Financial aid: none.

It offers the widest choice of start dates in our research: six at Cambridge and eight at Oxford.

Immerse Education

• Where: Oxford, Cambridge and London, plus Sydney, New York, Toronto, Singapore and Tokyo, and online research courses.
• Ages: 13 to 15 and 16 to 18 at Oxford and Cambridge; 15 to 18 in London and overseas.
• Dates: 2027 dates for Oxford and Cambridge weren't published when we checked.
• Subjects: around 20 course options per Oxford and Cambridge location, from architecture to philosophy, politics and economics.
• Teaching: small-group seminars, practical sessions, guided independent study and a personal academic project.
• Class size: 4 to 10, average 7.
• Financial aid: essay-competition scholarships, a need-based bursary and partner-school scholarships.

Immerse Education also offers an online research option, one-to-one and self-paced, which gives students a way to try a subject before committing to a residential course.

International Summer School for Teens

• Where: the University of Oxford (on-campus accommodation) and the University of St Andrews in Scotland.
• Ages: 13 to 18.
• Dates: two weeks, residential. Oxford runs 4 to 17 July and 18 to 31 July 2027; St Andrews runs 25 July to 7 August.
• Subjects: academic classes in Advanced English with Study Skills, Intensive English Language, Global Leadership and Medicine, plus Coding and AI at Oxford and Global Entrepreneurship at St Andrews. Electives at both locations include golf, tennis, sports leadership, and photography and digital media. Theatre is offered at Oxford, and AI and computer science at St Andrews.
• Teaching: a dual-study format, with academic learning in the morning and sports coaching or creative electives in the afternoon. Classes are described as small; no figure is published.
• Rooms: a private en-suite bedroom for each student at Oxford.
• Financial aid: none.

It combines academic classes with English-language study and sport, which suits students who want a balance between study and activities. Excursions include London, Warwick Castle, and Oxford city.

Oxbridge Academic Programs

• Where: Oxford (Pembroke and Keble Colleges) and Cambridge (Jesus College and Peterhouse), plus Paris and Barcelona.
• Ages: US grades 8 to 9 (Oxford Experience, Cambridge Experience) and grades 10 to 12 (Oxford Tradition, Cambridge Tradition, Institute for Advanced Studies).
• Dates: Oxford Tradition runs 2 to 15 July and 17 to 30 July 2027; Cambridge Tradition runs 9 to 22 July and 24 July to 6 August. Combined four-week sessions are available, and the Oxford Experience and the Institute are four-week only.
• Teaching: classes meet in classrooms, labs and studios, or out and about in the city. On the Tradition programmes, students attend class three afternoons a week. At the Institute for Advanced Studies, students meet tutors in small groups six mornings a week for three hours and carry out their own research. The provider describes its classes as small; no figure is published.
• Financial aid: selective partial scholarships.

It has the most four-week programmes in our research, and a dedicated track for younger grades. An optional Paris add-on of 4 to 6 days is available after the main sessions.

Oxbridge Summer Scholars (OSS)

• Where: Oxford and Cambridge.
• Ages: Junior Programmes for ages 14 to 15, Senior Programmes for ages 16 to 19.
• Dates: 6 to 19 December 2026; 4 to 17 July, 18 to 31 July and 1 to 14 August 2027.
• Streams: Science, Innovation and Technology; Medical and Biological Sciences; Business, Economics and Entrepreneurship; Law, Politics and International Relations.
• Interdisciplinary approach: programmes are designed to expose students to a wide range of subjects and perspectives, while still letting them focus on their primary area of interest.
• Teaching: built around the Oxford and Cambridge tutorial system, with lectures of about 40 students, seminars of 10 to 20 and tutorials of 2 to 8. More than 50 tutors teach on each programme, and every student completes an individual project.
• Rooms: single bedrooms with shared or en-suite bathrooms, depending on the college.
• Financial aid: none.

OSS puts the tutorial system, a team of tutors across several fields and an individual project at the centre of the format. Students who want that Oxford-style structure, or who haven't settled on a single subject, may find it a good fit.