Explore Engineering and Technology

Oxford Royale Academy's award-winning Engineering and Technology summer school on the campus of the University of Oxford, taught by elite ORA academic faculty.

Discover your High-Tech Future

The “Explore Engineering & Technology” course provides you with a comprehensive introduction to the exciting career opportunities in engineering and technology. You will explore the fields of Civil, Mechanical, Biomedical, and Aerospace engineering as you survey emerging technical applications from self-driving vehicles to space travel.

Why Choose This Course?

  • Gain a practical foundation in the science of engineering through fun design simulations that provide a grounding in mathematics and physics.
  • Learn to think like an engineer and strengthen your critical thinking, collaboration, problem solving, and creativity skills.
  • Apply your skills in the “Mission to Mars Design Challenge”, where you will collaborate with your peers to propose engineering and technology solutions that will support the establishment of a colony on Mars.

What’s included?

  • Residential in the prestigious colleges of the University of Oxford.
  • Inspiring courses taught by experts.
  • A truly international environment – over 170 nationalities.
  • Accommodation, meals, tuition and cultural programmes included.
  • Graduation, report cards and certificate.
  • Maximum of 15 students per class.
  • 20+ hours tuition / week.
  • Talks and debates with world-class guest speakers.
  • Inspirational cultural programme, including excursions to historic UK locations.
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What you will learn

On the Explore Engineering and Technology course you will:

  • Apply engineering principles to both everyday problems and future grand challenges.
  • Compare and contrast different engineering fields.
  • Strengthen your design, problem solving, communication and collaboration skills.
  • Improve your application of physics and mathematics to solving problems.
  • Practice being an engineer through design simulations and challenges.

Great For Students Thinking About

  • Building solutions to common problems
  • Applications of advanced robotics to grand engineering challenges
  • Exploring if a future career in engineering is for them
  • Pursuing an engineering or computer science degree at University

Earn your certificate

After your amazing summer of discovery, we know that you’ll want to share your success with your family, friends and teachers back at home. We also know that you’ll want to understand from your ORA tutor what you did particularly well on your course, but also where there might be room for future learning and development.

After successfully completing your course, you’ll receive a graduation certificate, awarded at a memorable ceremony hosted for you and your parents on the final Friday of your summer school. We’ll also provide a detailed report card, highlighting all that you have achieved during your time with us, as well as some next steps for future success.

Experience life on the campus of the University of Oxford

What’s life like at the oldest university in the English-speaking world? Join us this summer to find out! Your Oxford summer school is hosted in historic residential colleges where you will experience authentic undergraduate life. Sleep in student bedrooms set in centuries-old quadrangles, socialise in vibrant student common rooms, and relax in glorious college gardens. Take your place in vaulted halls where students have dined for over eight centuries. Learn in lecture theatres and laboratories where groundbreaking discoveries have been made, and study in the classrooms where 55 Nobel prize winners developed the key academic and life skills crucial for future success.

Learn from the world’s best minds

Have you ever wondered what it takes to make a new discovery at the cutting edge of science? Would you like to learn what it’s like to study in an Oxford tutorial, a Cambridge supervision, or in a top British boarding school? Or explore whether university study in your favourite subject is really for you?

Whatever your motivation, our exceptional, inspiring, world-leading teachers can help you achieve more this summer. Our amazing array of talented tutors includes Oxbridge academics, Ivy League lecturers, groundbreaking medical researchers, glittering industry leaders in film and fashion, acclaimed authors, and more!

We assemble our diverse faculty from all over the world, exclusively for you, so you only learn from the very best. Every tutor will guide you on your path to future greatness.

Join exciting activities and trips

Summer should be fun, right?! Don’t worry, we get that – we never forget that you’re on holiday!

We can help you to uncover Oxford’s secrets, from the best coffee shops to the dreamiest riverside parks, from Oxford’s very own castle to must-visit shops, galleries and museums. You and your friends will enjoy an amazing extra-curricular timetable, including dazzling graduation balls, excursions offering a glimpse of Britain’s past, the opportunity to visit glitzy attractions such as the bright lights of London’s theatres, Windsor Castle, Blenheim Palace and many more!

Useful Information

Information for Parents

Visit our parents page to find some useful information for parents and students about living and studying in our summer school centres. Further practical information will be made available through the ORA Portal in the months leading up to your summer school booking.

Pastoral Care

Over 15 years of delivering world-class summer programmes, we have established robust processes and structures to ensure all of our over 25,000 students have been well looked after during their stay with ORA. We pride ourselves on the exceptional levels of pastoral care we provide to our students

Medical Care and Insurance

We are absolutely committed to your safety and wellbeing as our number one priority. Students must be comprehensively insured for their time with us - click to find suggested policy details, along with further information about our medical policies and procedures designed to keep you safe.

Visas and Immigration

Students are responsible for obtaining their own visa prior to travelling, but can request assistance from Oxford Royale Academy if required. You can find some helpful information here

Any questions?

Check out our FAQs

How do I book a place on the course I want?

Once you have decided which course you would like to attend, you can book online using our secure booking system. Once your application has been submitted, you will be sent an email confirming that it has been received.

If you prefer, you can download an Application Form by clicking here. You can return the Application Form to us by any of these methods:

  • Scan and email to [email protected]
  • Post to Oxford Royale Academy, The Punt House, St Catherine’s College, Manor Road, Oxford, OX1 3UJ, UNITED KINGDOM

Once your booking has been processed by one of our members of staff, you will receive email confirmation of your place on the course of your choice. A Welcome Pack will be available to download from the ORA Portal from April. If at any time you would like to discuss your booking with a course advisor, please feel free to email [email protected] or call us on +44 (0) 1865 954 800.

How do I pay for my course?

All courses require a deposit payment to secure the booking. The deposit is £995 GBP for all two-week courses. You may either pay the full course fee when you book your place, or pay the deposit amount and then the balance at a later date. The balance clearance is required at least 90 days before the start date of the course. Where the student is booking less than 90 days before the start date, the balance must be covered in full.

New online enrolments will require a Debit or Credit Card payment of at least the deposit amount. If you would like to enrol and make your deposit payment via Bank Transfer, please contact our Admissions team, who will be happy to assist you in doing so. ([email protected])

Payments for existing enrolments can be made via a number of methods, including domestic and international bank transfer, credit or debit card, as well as local payment options; please log in to your ORA Portal and click on the ‘Pay Now’ button on your booking details.

What do my course fees include?

All course fees include the following:

  • Classes and tuition (20 taught hours per week)
  • Study files/materials
  • Guest lectures by academic speakers
  • Personalised academic reports and graduation certificate
  • Accommodation (see our accommodation page for the specific colleges and locations)
  • Meals in the Hall
  • Free WiFi (subject to availability)
  • Daily updates for parents and family on the ORA campus blogs
  • A wide selection of afternoon and evening activities
  • Coach excursions
  • Welcome and graduation events (parents invited subject to availability)
  • A multitude of extras, including an ORA notebook and branded clothing
Will I receive a graduation certificate?

Yes, students will be awarded an Oxford Royale Academy Graduation Certificate in their chosen course upon satisfactory completion of the course. This will be presented in a graduation ceremony on the final evening of the course.

Will I have to share a room/facilities?

Most of our accommodation sites offer a mix of single and twin bedrooms, with some campuses having en-suite bedrooms available and others have shared bathroom facilities between a small group of same-sex students. If you have a particular preference for a certain room type, you can make a request on booking, which may be granted subject to availability. If a particular room type is required for medical reasons, please contact our Admissions Team who will be able to check availability on different sites, depending on the course chosen.

Sharing your room with fellow students is a great way of getting to know people and making friends.

How secure are the campuses?

All our programmes take place in a secure environment. Our students are supervised 24 hours a day by campus staff. All students must check-in regularly during the day: at roll-call at breakfast; at their morning classes; in the afternoon for lessons, workshops or activities; at dinner and in the evening before curfew. All campuses have a curfew.

Each campus office has its own safe where students may deposit items of value such as passports, travel documents, bank cards etc.

All campuses have residential staff who can be contacted 24 hours a day.

Do I need a visa to travel to the UK/US?

If your country is part of the EU or the European Economic Area you will not require a visa to enter the UK. It is always safest to check whether you need a visa with the relevant authorities.

Students attending our USA Summer Schools may be able to enter the USA on the Visa Waiver programme – we can provide individual support on request for those that do need a visa.

I want to change to another course or study option. Is this possible?

If you wish to change your course or study options (including dates), please do not hesitate to contact us. However, changes to courses are always subject to availability. For this reason, it may be more difficult for us to accommodate any changes requested less than 60 days before the course start date.

If I need to cancel my booking, will I get my money back?

Oxford Royale Academy’s terms and conditions for refunds are as follows:

Any cancellation must be received in writing and can only be on the following terms:

no refund of deposit will be made under any circumstances, once the two-week cooling-off period has concluded;
for cancellations before your course start date, the remainder of the course fees less the deposit amount will be proportionally refunded as per the table below:

Period Before Start Date Total refunded
120+ days 100%
90-119 days 50%
45-89 days 10%
0-44 days 0%
I want to attend one of your English language courses: how will you know what my level of English is and what sort of tuition I need?

All students registered to attend our English Language courses will be required to take an English Language Placement Test, which will assess the relative abilities of each student. Students are then placed into ability groups based on the results of their assessment, and the material that they study is tailored to the level of the class.

Once you have booked your place on a course we will send you information on how to take our online Placement Test. This test should take approximately one hour and should be taken by the student at least one month prior to their arrival date.

Please note that Oxford Royale Academy English courses do not cater for beginners in English.

Can I take more than one course?

It is certainly possible to take more than one course and combine a variety of study programmes. You can simply book onto two different courses, for example students from 13 to 15 years old could start with our Creative Arts course in Oxford and then move on to the Film Academy.

Students staying for two consecutive sessions will be provided with accommodation for the Saturday night, and their campus will provide supervised activities between their first session ending and second session starting. Should you have any queries about how to take more than one course please do not hesitate to contact us.

Hear from our students

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Doreen, Taiwan

The Medicine course gave me the opportunity to meet people from around the world with the same passion as me. My new friends and I were able to discuss and exchange information to support each other...

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Sara, Greece

Year after year the allure of Oxford Royale has pulled me back. I met many different people during my first two weeks from different cultures and backgrounds.

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Mifta, Indonesia

I decided to return because I fell in love with Oxford, the gardens, the old buildings, the good books…

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Carolina, Qatar

I found the Oxford Royale course online, saved the link as ‘life saving course.’ What I needed the most was help with my UCAS application, but I also wanted to challenge myself intellectually and learn new things

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Yoosuf, Maldives

This summer school has taught me many things, including the basics of engineering, which will most definitely help me in my future – academically and professionally.

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Wisam, Sudan

Oxford Royale Academy creates a small family-like community that makes everyone feel welcome and cared for. All in all, my experience at Oxford Royale is something that I will always remember and be grateful for.

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Vannakhone, Laos

I gained so much knowledge and experience from this trip; it showed me things that are totally different to my home country. Now I’m very interested in studying at a UK university in the future.

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Taonga, Zambia

This experience was life-changing in so many good ways. It pushed me out of my comfort zone and made me realise that ‘the world is my oyster’. I highly recommend this program to students who would like a memorable international experience without limits.

Study in confidence