University of Oxford UNIQ Summer Schools Spanish Residential Course

You need to be studying Spanish at A level or speak it to an equivalent level, and you also have to meet all of UNIQ's general rules for school year, school type, residency and age. Beyond those minimums, UNIQ prioritizes students with good grades from backgrounds that are underrepresented at Oxford, and it checks what you tell it.

UNIQ works with more than 1,000 students a year across all its courses but doesn't publish how many apply for Spanish or how many get in, and it says the only way to know if you'll get a place is to apply.

• School year

  You must be in Year 12 in England or Wales, Year 13 in Northern Ireland or S5 in Scotland, or in the first year of the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma.

• School

  You must attend a UK or Islands state school or college. Grammar schools count and home-educated students can apply, but independent and private schools don't, even if a bursary pays your fees.

• Residency

  You need to be a settled UK or Islands resident or expect to qualify for home fee status when you apply to university, so overseas residents can't apply.

• Age

  You must be under 18 at the time of the residential, and UNIQ normally expects you to be 16 or 17. There are exceptions for some Northern Ireland students and for students in an offset year because of extenuating circumstances.

• Grades

  UNIQ normally expects at least six GCSEs (the UK exams taken around age 16) with one or more at grade 7 or A, or six Scottish National 5s with one or more at A.

• Priority

  Care experience is strongly prioritized, and past or present free school meals and your home postcode's deprivation ranking are also taken into account.

• Ruled out

  Anyone who has already been on UNIQ or has more than one completed A level can't apply.

You arrive on Monday and leave on Friday, and the teaching runs during the day on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. UNIQ doesn't publish class hours for Spanish. Most of the course focuses on Spanish, with sessions to sharpen your language skills alongside lectures and discussions on literature, theater, film or linguistics from the medieval period to the present day, and you'll also have a tutorial and a taster of one or two new languages. The material is pitched at first-year undergraduate level, with academic staff, graduate teachers and student ambassadors on hand to help.

Evenings are for optional social activities with your college group, exploring Oxford and other colleges, or relaxing in the common room with current students. The week finishes with a mini conference that brings together everyone on UNIQ that week.

Yes. Neither you nor your school pays anything, and UNIQ covers your travel, accommodation, meals and tuition. The free travel depends on you sending information back on time, though, because students who miss UNIQ's deadlines or lose their ticket may have to pay for their own. Fuel isn't reimbursed if you come by car, and snacks, souvenirs and anything you forget to pack are on you. UNIQ asks students who are worried about paying for anything during the visit to get in touch.

Current Oxford undergraduates act as UNIQ ambassadors, taking you to classes and staying in college with you, and each college is run by a Site Manager, a senior ambassador who organizes drop-ins, tours and evening activities. You'll have your own lockable bedroom, and if you share a bathroom it'll be on a corridor separated by gender. Everyone has to stay overnight, even if you live close enough to commute, and you won't find out which college you're in until you arrive.

• Food

  Every college offers a vegetarian option. UNIQ can't guarantee halal, kosher or other religious meals, so tell it your needs as soon as you're offered a place and it will make other arrangements if needed.

• Access needs

  You don't have to mention a disability when you apply, but UNIQ asks about any adjustments you'll need once you're offered a place.

• Faith

  UNIQ makes time for prayer during the day and lends prayer mats. If you'll be fasting, contact UNIQ beforehand, because if your health starts to suffer, staff will ask you to break your fast or go home.

Applications are made only online, through the UNIQ website.

1. 1

   Register and fill in the online form between 15 December 2026 and 1pm on 19 January 2027, choosing Spanish plus a second-choice course and nominating a teacher.

2. 2

   Make sure you actually submit, because UNIQ won't consider unfinished applications and sends no confirmation email, only an application submitted screen.

3. 3

   If you spot a mistake after submitting, email UNIQ quickly, since there are only about three days after the close to make changes.

4. 4

   Watch your email for a decision by early March 2027, then accept within one week if you're offered a place.

5. 5

   Attend a weekend regional launch event in spring and an online briefing in May or June before the residential.

From August to December, UNIQ keeps supporting you online as you prepare an application to Oxford, at each stage from your UCAS application (UCAS is the UK's university application service) to admissions tests and interviews. The language tasters also give you a sense of which languages you could start from scratch at Oxford, which may widen the degree courses you consider.