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    2026 opens 15 Dec 2026

    University of Oxford UNIQ Summer Schools Biomedical Sciences Residential Course

    by University of Oxford UNIQ Summer Schools

    • 2026 program
    • Free

    A free one-week residential in Oxford that gives sixth form students at UK state schools a taste of Oxford's undergraduate Biomedical Sciences degree, which looks at how the human body works in health and disease. You stay four nights in an Oxford college, watch a first-year lecture, learn how tutorials work and question working scientists on topics like sleep cycles, fruit fly development and stress hormones. The course is part of UNIQ, the University of Oxford's access program, which also includes a spring regional event and online help with applying to Oxford.

    Facts checked against the official page on 11 Nov 2026 · Editor: Sean StevensSean Stevens · Sources

    At a glance

    Official facts · checked 11 Nov 2026
    DatesOfficial
    2027: Not announced yet. 2026: 29 June to 3 July
    Who can applyOfficial
    Year 12 in England or Wales, Year 13 in Northern Ireland, S5 in Scotland, or first year of the IB Diploma. Settled UK or Islands resident, or expecting home fee status when applying to higher education
    Total costOfficial
    Free
    Format and placeOfficial
    In person, Oxford
    Length
    One week (Monday to Friday, four nights)
    Included / budget separately
    Included: accommodation, meals (Included). Separately: Fuel for travel by car (not reimbursed), Replacement travel if a ticket is lost or deadlines are missed, snacks, souvenirs and forgotten items
    Deposit and refunds
    Not published
    Financial aid
    Not published
    Apply by
    Applications open 15 December 2026. 2027: 19 January
    Cohort and selectivity
    UNIQ works with over a thousand students a year across all its courses
    Credit or certificate
    Not published
    Official page
    uniq.ox.ac.uk/biomedical-sciences

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    Biomedical Sciences Residential Course

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    Should you apply?

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    In short

    For an eligible state school student weighing up biomedical sciences at Oxford, a free week taught at first-year level is hard to pass up. Anyone after hands-on research will get less from it, since there are only three teaching days of lectures, tutorials and talks.

    • Why it's worth it

      You see how Oxford actually teaches this degree, from a first-year lecture to a tutorial, and you can question working scientists and current students directly, with travel, your room and meals all paid for.

    • What it asks of you

      Five days in Oxford from Monday to Friday, and staying in college is compulsory even if you live nearby. You also take part in a spring regional event and an online preparation meeting, and UNIQ calls the week so intensive that you should finish any school project due around then before you go.

    • Who should skip it

      Students at independent schools or living overseas, because UNIQ only takes UK state school students with home fee status, and anyone who has already done a UNIQ course, since each student can attend only once.

    What happens during the week?

    Teaching runs during the day on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, although UNIQ doesn't publish class hours. You arrive on Monday, stay four nights in an Oxford college and leave on Friday after a closing mini conference with everyone else on your week.

    The course samples the breadth of the Oxford degree, from genetics to experimental psychology to organ systems. You observe a real first-year lecture, learn how Oxford's tutorials work and hear leading scientists talk about their research, with time to question them on topics such as the science behind sleep cycles, how fruit flies help explain development and the role of hormones in stress. Current students act as ambassadors throughout, so you can ask what the degree is like day to day.

    Evenings bring optional social activities with your college group, time to explore Oxford and other colleges, and a common room where ambassadors and the site manager are around to answer questions.

    Who can apply, and how are places chosen?

    You need to be studying at least two of Chemistry, Biology, Physics or Maths at A level or equivalent, because UNIQ matches each course to the subject requirements of the Oxford degree. On top of that come UNIQ's general rules: you must be at a UK state school or college (grammar schools count, and home-educated students can apply), have or expect home fee status, be under 18 at the time of the residential and have no more than one completed A level. Anyone who has already attended UNIQ is disqualified. You also need to be in your first year of sixth form study, which looks different across the UK.

    Beyond those rules, places are decided in context. UNIQ normally expects at least six GCSEs with one or more at grade 7 or A (or six National 5s with at least one A), strongly prioritizes students with care experience, and also takes into account Free School Meals eligibility and socioeconomic background, for example by checking your home postcode against a deprivation index. UNIQ works with over a thousand students a year across more than thirty courses but doesn't publish how many places Biomedical Sciences has. You name a second-choice course too, which you may be offered if your first is full.

    • England or Wales

      Year 12, in your first year of A levels or equivalent.

    • Northern Ireland

      Year 13, in your first year of A levels or equivalent.

    • Scotland

      S5, studying Highers or equivalent.

    • International Baccalaureate

      The first year of the IB Diploma.

    Is it really free?

    Yes, for you and your school. UNIQ pays for travel, your college room, meals and all teaching. The travel cover depends on you sending information back on time, though, and a student who misses UNIQ's deadlines or loses a ticket may have to buy their own, while fuel for a car journey isn't reimbursed. Snacks, souvenirs and anything you forget to pack are also on you. UNIQ asks families who are worried about paying for anything during the visit to get in touch.

    How are students looked after in college?

    Each college is run for the week by a Site Manager, a senior student ambassador who organizes drop-in sessions, tours and evening activities, while undergraduate ambassadors stay in college with you and take you to lectures and seminars. They wear UNIQ t-shirts so you can spot them easily. UNIQ doesn't publish a staff-to-student ratio.

    You get your own lockable bedroom. Some rooms are ensuite, but many college buildings are historic, so you may share a bathroom with a few other participants on a gender-segregated corridor. UNIQ assigns your college, and you only find out which one when you arrive. Every college offers a vegetarian option, but halal, kosher and other religious diets can't be guaranteed because each college runs its own catering, so tell UNIQ what you need as soon as you're offered a place. Students with disabilities or medical needs can ask for reasonable adjustments after an offer, and there are opportunities to pray during the day.

    How do you apply?

    Applications are made only online, through the UNIQ website.

    1. 15 December 2026

      Applications for UNIQ 2027 open, and you choose a first and second course.

    2. By 13:00 on 19 January 2027

      Submit the completed form, since a started but unsubmitted application isn't considered, and look for the application submitted screen because no confirmation email arrives.

    3. Just after the deadline

      Email UNIQ straight away if you spot a mistake, as there are only about three days to make changes once applications close.

    4. By early March 2027

      Decisions arrive by email, and you have one week to accept an offer.

    5. Spring to June 2027

      You attend a weekend regional launch event and then an online preparation meeting before the residential.

    6. Late June or July 2027

      The residential runs in one week between 28 June and 30 July 2027, which UNIQ hasn't yet confirmed for Biomedical Sciences.

    What should you do next?

    Decide by 19 January 2027 whether to apply, and check which week Biomedical Sciences runs in 2027 before you do, since you need to be free for all five days. Have your GCSE grades, a teacher to nominate and a second-choice course ready for when the form opens on 15 December 2026.
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    Frequently asked questions

    Yes. UNIQ is the University of Oxford's own access program, which has run since 2010, and its courses are put together and delivered by faculty staff from across the university.

    No. Oxford says participants who go on to apply get no preferential treatment, and not being selected for UNIQ won't affect a later application either. What you do get is a clearer picture of the degree, plus online support from August to December with your UCAS (UK university application service) form, admissions tests and interviews.

    UNIQ advises applying only for a subject whose week you can attend, because it can't change your subject once places are allocated. If you're offered something else that clashes while you're still waiting for a UNIQ decision, UNIQ suggests committing to the offer you already have.

    Sources

    Facts checked against the official page on 11 Nov 2026

    Editor: Sean Stevens

    Succeed has no commercial relationship with University of Oxford UNIQ Summer Schools.

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