Oxbridge Academic Philosophy

Providing Summer Courses For Students In The World's Greatest Classrooms

Our leading academic summer programs offer a uniquely comprehensive pre-college experience. Each one of our summer courses uses the city like a classroom with true experiential learning that takes full advantage of the local museums, historical sites, laboratories, and guest speakers available. Our students learn from top academics and industry professionals, live in some of the world's best universities, and immerse themselves in remarkable cultures. We also offer students the chance to perfect a foreign language through our language immersion programs in France and Spain. We are proud of our esteemed faculty, and list all their biographies.

Summer course taking place outdoors with Oxbridge Academic Programs

The History Of Oxbridge Academic Programs

The first Oxbridge program took place 35 years ago, in Oxford with The Oxford Tradition. It was designed to give bright and enthusiastic students an opportunity to do something that they could not do at school, namely spend a month immersing themselves in the subjects of their choice, guided by university teachers and recognized professionals, using Oxford’s extraordinary resources as an experiential learning tool.

A great deal has changed over the intervening 35 years. Competition for places at the best universities has become merciless; extra-study during the vacation, once the habit of an eccentric minority, has become standard for virtually any student hoping to attend a good college; studying abroad, once the preserve of a fortunate few, has become an achievable goal for many.

Oxbridge, too, has changed.

That first summer we welcomed 36 students, who selected their summer courses from a tiny handful of options. Today, we are proud to welcome almost 2000 students, aged between 11 and 18 from 86 countries, to 15 programs that take place in 9 great cities, and, depending on the program, last between a week and a month.

As it was in 1986, the aim of every Oxbridge summer program is to immerse students in subjects that fascinate them. In small groups, students use experiential learning tactics to become full-fledged partners in the learning process as the town where their program takes place becomes their living classroom.

The other founding principle to which Oxbridge has held fast is that each of our summer courses are taught by university teachers and eminent professionals. Our faculty is made up of a dazzling array of researchers and lecturers, Rhodes scholars, Gates scholars, published writers and poets, award-winning filmmakers, and architects drawn from the best universities in the world. These exceptional scholars and artists generously give up their summers to pass their brilliance and knowledge onto the next generation.

Knowledge for its own sake, however, has never been at the core of Oxbridge. If the past 35 years have taught us anything, it is that good grades alone do not make for personal success. Universities are increasingly looking beyond grades for evidence of individuality, confidence, character, and other personal qualities that can only be discovered and harnessed through challenging experiences.

By taking students out of their comfort zones, placing them in new environments, making them confront new ideas, and challenging them to live and interact with peers from 86 countries, Oxbridge allows students to undergo a transformation in their sense of self, their capabilities, and their creativity.

For the right student, there is nothing like it.

Want to learn more about Oxbridge and our study abroad programs? RSVP for one of our Information Sessions or Live Webinars to hear from the Oxbridge admissions team and program experts.