University of Oxford UNIQ Summer Schools French Residential Course

You arrive on Monday, spend Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday in daytime classes run by Oxford's Faculty of Medieval and Modern Languages, and finish the week with a mini conference with everyone else on your week before leaving on Friday.

Most of the week focuses on French, with sessions to sharpen your language skills and lectures and discussions on topics such as literature, theater, film and linguistics, from the medieval period to today. You'll also take part in a tutorial, which Oxford calls an important part of its student experience, and try one or two languages you haven't studied, such as German, Italian, Portuguese or Russian, all of which Oxford students can start from scratch.

Evenings bring optional social activities with your college group, chances to explore Oxford and other colleges, and lots of time with current students. Oxford describes the week as very intensive, so finish any school project due around then before you go.

UNIQ is for UK state school students in their first year of sixth form, and Oxford prioritizes students with good grades from backgrounds underrepresented at Oxford and other universities. Beyond the minimum rules, Oxford weighs your grades and background in context, so it says the only way to know if you'll get a place is to apply.

• School year

  Year 12 in England or Wales, Year 13 in Northern Ireland, S5 in Scotland or the first year of the IB Diploma, and you can't already hold more than one completed A level.

• School and residency

  You need to attend a UK or Islands state school (grammar schools count) or be home educated, and be a settled UK resident or expect to qualify for home fees. Independent school students can't apply, even on a bursary.

• Age

  You must be under 18 during the residential and would normally be 16 or 17, with narrow exceptions for Northern Ireland students and those studying in an offset year.

• French and grades

  You need to be studying French at A level or speak it to an equivalent level, and Oxford normally expects at least six GCSEs with at least one at grade 7 or A (or six National 5s with at least one A in Scotland).

• Priority

  Care-experienced applicants are strongly prioritized, and Oxford also takes into account free school meals eligibility, past or present, and socioeconomic background, for example by checking your home postcode.

• Once only

  Anyone who has already attended UNIQ is automatically disqualified.

Yes. Oxford charges nothing to you or your school and pays for your travel, room, meals, teaching and staff. The few exceptions are worth knowing, though. If you miss Oxford's travel deadlines or lose your ticket, you may have to buy your own, fuel for driving to Oxford isn't reimbursed, and snacks, souvenirs and anything you forget to pack are up to you. Oxford asks families who are worried about paying for anything during the visit to get in touch.

Current Oxford undergraduates, called ambassadors, take you to classes and live in your college with you, and each college is run for the week by a site manager, a senior ambassador who organizes drop-ins, tours and evening activities. You find out which college you're in only when you arrive.

• Rooms

  You get your own lockable bedroom. Because many college buildings are historic, shared bathrooms are common, and you may share one with a few other participants on a single-gender corridor. If you have an ensuite room, you may be on a mixed-gender corridor.

• Food and faith

  Every college offers a vegetarian option. Halal, kosher and other religious diets can't be guaranteed, but Oxford makes other arrangements if nothing suitable is available, and it provides time to pray and some prayer mats to borrow.

• Fasting

  Let Oxford know in advance. If a fasting student's health starts to suffer, Oxford will ask them to break the fast or go home.

The main thing you take away is a clear sense of whether a Modern Languages degree suits you, followed by continued online help if you decide to apply to Oxford. From August to December, UNIQ offers guidance and signposting to online support, and Oxford says it helps at each stage of the application, from your UCAS form through admissions tests to interviews.

1. 1

   Applications open on 15 December 2026 on the UNIQ website, where you pick French as your first choice, add a second-choice course and nominate a teacher.

2. 2

   Submit the finished form by 1pm on 19 January 2027, because unsubmitted forms and late applications aren't considered, and look for the on-screen confirmation since no email follows.

3. 3

   Oxford emails decisions by early March 2027, and you have one week to accept an offer.

4. 4

   In the spring you attend a weekend regional launch event, followed by an online preparation meeting in May or June.

5. 5

   The residential runs Monday to Friday in one week between 28 June and 30 July 2027. If French runs in more than one week, Oxford allocates your week, and once places are allocated you can't switch subjects.