Frequently asked questions

About UNIQ

Yes, UNIQ is completely and utterly free!

There are absolutely no fees to either UNIQ participants or their schools or colleges, and we cover all travel, accommodation, meals, and staffing and tuition costs. We think it’s a pretty good deal!

This does rely on information being sent back to us on time. In the case of travel, students that fail to adhere to our deadlines or lose their ticket may have to pay for their own. Read below what types of travel we provide. We don't cover additional snacks or souvenirs you may wish to buy, nor forgotten items. If you have any worries about paying for something on your visit, please speak to us, though.

When does UNIQ run?

Find out about when the UNIQ programme runs by looking at our key dates page.

Will participating in a UNIQ programme make it more likely that I will get a place at Oxford University?

The UNIQ programme is designed to raise the aspirations of those who attend, increase their confidence in applying to top universities (with specific reference to Oxford), and break down myths and barriers which prevent high performing students from certain backgrounds and schools from making an application. We hope that all students who participate in the UNIQ programme feel more informed about the University and its application process. Students who take part and decide to apply to Oxford University do not receive any preferential treatment at the application stage.

Will I have time to work on other projects or school work during the UNIQ residential (in Spring or Summer)?

UNIQ is very intensive so you will have little time to complete other work whilst in Oxford. We suggest that if you have a school project which is due directly after or during your residential, you make every effort to complete it before attending. We also ask that you think carefully about your attendance if you have a music (or similar) exam soon after, as you will have no opportunities to practice during your time in Oxford, and there will not be adequate facilities available to practice. We ask that schools are aware of the intensive nature of the UNIQ residential programmes and that teachers bear this in mind when setting homework over the duration of the residential.

When will my teacher be contacted?

We ask participants to nominate a teacher at their current place of study. We may contact some teachers during the application period, but the majority of teachers will be contacted once we have sent out offers for the programme, and the respective applicants have accepted their place.

I have a disability or special educational need, or other accessibility or medical requirement which may affect my attendance. Should I still apply?

UNIQ welcomes applications from students with disabilities or other needs and makes reasonable adjustments to facilitate access. You do not need to declare this at the point of application, but if we offer you a place you would be asked to let us know about anything that we would need to consider to accommodate your needs. This includes any access arrangements for the residential in Oxford.

If you would like more information about accessibility and resources for students, staff and visitors in Oxford more generally, please visit our Equality and Diversity disability support pages. Information about building accessibility can be found on the University's Access Guide or interactive map.

Please contact uniq@admin.ox.ac.uk if you have further questions or concerns.

Is UNIQ inclusive of people who do not identify with the gender they were assigned at birth?

Yes! We welcome any and all applicants, whatever their gender or sexual identity or assignment. On the application form, you will be able to inform us of the name you would like us to use in our communications with you, and of your preferred pronouns. We'll always endeavour to recognise you by the names or pronouns you prefer, and you can change these at any stage of the application process or programme by getting in touch with us, or even by letting our student ambassador team know when you arrive in Oxford. If you have any concerns about accommodation or any other aspect of the programme, you can contact us to discuss these. We're very happy to hear from you, and wherever possible we will make reasonable adjustments to meet your needs and preferences.

Eligibility

Am I eligible for UNIQ?

See our page on selection criteria to see if UNIQ is for you.

I attend a UK state school but I'm not a permanent resident of the UK, can I still apply?

To be eligible to apply for UNIQ, you must be a UK resident settled in the UK at the time of your application, with no restrictions on the period for which you may stay in the UK. See our page on selection criteria for more information about residency requirements.

If you are selected, we will contact your school or college and ask them to verify the information on your application.

I attended UNIQ in a previous year, can I still apply?

Students are only permitted to attend one UNIQ programme, and can only attend during the correct year of study. As such, any applications received from students that have already been on the UNIQ programme will be automatically disqualified from the selection process.

I don’t study at a UK state school--am I eligible to apply?

If you do not attend a UK state school you cannot apply to UNIQ. This includes if you attend a public school, an independent school, or a private school. Only UK state schools are selectable on our application form.

See our page on selection criteria to see if UNIQ is for you.

I attend a private school through a bursary/scholarship/sponsored funding, can I still apply?

If you do not attend a UK state school you cannot apply to UNIQ. This includes if you attend a public school, an independent school, or a private school, even if your attendance is supported by any scholarships or bursaries. Only UK state schools are selectable on our application form.

I am not in Year 12--am I eligible to apply?

The UNIQ programme is for students in their first year of sixth form study, usually the penultimate year of school and the year before making a UCAS application to universities. In English schools this year is referred to as Year 12, but across the UK school systems, this year is referred to in different ways. If you are at a school in England or Wales, you need to be in Year 12, currently working towards your AS Levels or your first year of A Levels for the first time, to be eligible to apply for UNIQ. This year is sometimes referred to as ‘Lower Sixth’, or you may be in your first year at a Sixth Form College. Applicants studying in Northern Ireland should be in Year 13. Applicants in Scottish schools will be in S5 or Fifth Year. Students taking the International Baccalaureate should be in their first year of study for the IB Diploma.

To apply to UNIQ you must be under 18 years old at the time of the residential, and we would normally expect you to be 16 or 17 years old.

I don't study the required subjects listed for the course, can I still apply?

The subject requirements for UNIQ are designed to match the requirements for Undergraduate courses at the University. If you are not studying the required subject(s) for a course, you will not be able to apply for it. If you are unsure if your subjects will match your chosen Undergraduate course, please take a look at the course page on the University website.

Should I apply if I didn't do as well in my GCSEs (or equivalent) as I expected?

We take several factors into consideration when it comes to applications to UNIQ. GCSE or equivalent attainment is one part of this, but our minimum grades might be lower than you think. As long as your application meets our criteria then it's definitely worth putting in an application.

We are aware that sometimes circumstances arise which mean you do not perform to the best of your ability. If this is the case, you should fill in the extenuating circumstances section of the application form. This doesn't guarantee you a place on UNIQ, but when we look at the applications we will take this into account. As with every application to UNIQ, there are a lot of factors involved in selecting participants for the courses, and if you are not selected, it does not in any way mean that you cannot apply to an undergraduate course at Oxford, and it will not affect any subsequent applications to the University.

I already have one or more A levels, can I apply?

The total number of A level (or similar) qualifications allowed from applicants is just one. Students with more than one completed A level are deemed to have progressed sufficiently through further education to not be eligible for UNIQ. This rule also applies to students resitting aspects of their course and students that decide to retake their A levels in different subjects after already completing more than one.

Can I apply if I am or have been home schooled?

We do accept applications from students who are home schooled or have been in the past. You will still need to meet our other eligibility and selection criteria as well as any requirements of the course(s) that you are interested in applying for.

When applying you will need to:

Select 'home educated' in any relevant school selection drop downs
Provide details of someone who can act as a referee for your GCSEs or equivalent qualifications. If you were previously in school but currently home schooled, this could be a teacher at your previous school who can act as a referee.
Use the extenuating circumstances section to let us know about your specific circumstances.

Teachers and advisors

I’m a teacher or advisor, how can I find out more about UNIQ?

We welcome enquiries from schools and teachers, and are happy to answer any questions that you may have. Please email uniq@admin.ox.ac.uk with any queries. You may also find it useful to sign up to our mailing list for the latest news and reminders, and to encourage any of your students to do so too!

Does the school need to submit a list of interested applicants?

Schools can support students in their applications and will be asked to confirm details submitted by an applicant if they are offered a place, but it is the students' responsibility to submit an application.

Does UNIQ count towards the Duke of Edinburgh Award?

No. At the time of writing, a residential activity for DofE should normally take place over five consecutive days with a minimum of four nights spent away, so UNIQ would not qualify.

Application system

Why can't I login to the application system?

This is usually a cookie issue on your web browser. This occurs because the application system is unable to create necessary preference files on your computer, normally because you have disabled cookies in some way. You can try and fix this yourself by looking through your settings or by using a different browser where these settings are set to default. You can follow our guide to system requirements for help troubleshooting login problems.

Why can’t I find one of my science subjects under qualifications?

You are able to select the 'Science' options multiple times and add the grades accordingly. This is ideal if you completed a GCSE like Additional Science. If you took each Science subject as a separate GCSE, you will find each subject listed alphabetically under 'Science - Biology', 'Science - Chemistry', etc.

Why can’t I find my school on the list?

The schools eligible for UNIQ are all listed on the application form. We cannot take applications from overseas students or from non-state or fee-charging schools regardless of any scholarships or bursaries that might allow you to attend. Only UK state schools are selectable on our application form.

Make sure to try variations on your school name, especially if your school has converted to an academy in the recent years. For example, if your school is prefixed with ‘St’, try ‘Saint’ and ‘St.’ as well. If your school name begins with 'the', try it with and without 'the'. Another example would be words such as ‘Bluecoat’ which may be entered in as ‘Blue Coat’.

If you believe that you should be eligible for UNIQ but still cannot find your school name after following the steps above, please contact the UNIQ team.

I have another opportunity which is at the same time as a UNIQ residential, what should I do?

If you are still waiting for UNIQ decisions and have been offered another activity that conflicts with UNIQ, then we would advise that you commit to the activity you have been offered.

Participation in UNIQ is application based and we cannot guarantee that you will be successful in that application. Once you have applied and the places have been allocated, we are unable to change the subject you are taking, therefore we would advise you to ensure that when you apply, you apply for a subject in a week you can make.

Obviously, if you are then unable to make the week, you should let us know so that we can open the place up to someone on the reserve list.

Do I have to complete my application to be considered?

We require a 100% completed application that has been successfully submitted to us from the UNIQ application system. Applications started (of any %) but not submitted to us will NOT be considered under any circumstances.

Can I make a change on my application?

Please email uniq@admin.ox.ac.uk as soon as you can if you have already submitted your application but have made a mistake or need to update any of the following: home address, email address or teacher details. Once applications have closed there is only a small window (approximately 3 days) to make any further changes. If you would like to alter any other details on your application form, please email us.

Is UNIQ first come first serve?

No, as long as you submit by the deadline your application will be considered equally. We recommend that you don't rush your application, so give yourself enough time and make sure that all your details are correct before submitting. You must have completed your submission before the deadline for it to be considered: we cannot accept late submissions under any circumstance.

The UNIQ sustained contact programme

Who does the sustained contact programme?

Everyone who is offered a place on UNIQ is placed on the sustained contact programme. Most participants are also offered a place on a residential, but some will only be invited to join the other components of UNIQ.

Why are some students offered the sustained contact programme but not the residential?

Every year we receive applications to the programme from thousands of students, many of whom we would like to work with but are unable to place on the residential due to space constraints. So, we may offer you a place on the UNIQ programme without the residential, which automatically puts you into our residential reserve pool. This is not any reflection of your ability to submit a competitive application for any of our undergraduate courses.

To give you the opportunity of experiencing Oxford in person, if you are not offered a place on a residential you may be offered a free trip to Oxford for one of our open days.

We are confident that our sustained contact programme, which includes application support, super-curricular activities, information on student life, clubs and societies, financial support, and more, will give you a better understanding of life at Oxford as a whole, and will help strengthen your application.

What does the sustained contact programme include?

Find out more about what is included in the UNIQ programme on our what is UNIQ? page.

UNIQ residentials in Oxford

Can I specify which UNIQ week I'd like to attend?

Where courses run on more than one week (for example Maths and Law) you will be automatically allocated a week by the UNIQ team. If you are unable to attend this specific week, you can ask to be placed in the reserve queue for the other dates. You must be available for the entire duration of your residential, so please make sure that you apply for a subject during a week that you can attend. Please also note that we are unable to consider individual requests outside of the standard application form.

Where will I stay during the UNIQ residential?

During the UNIQ residential, you will live in one of the Oxford colleges. As members of the University of Oxford, all undergraduates are attached to a college. Colleges of the University provide academic and pastoral support to their students. UNIQ will hopefully give you an idea of what the college atmosphere is like.

Can I choose which college I attend?

If you are offered a place on UNIQ, a college will be assigned to you. We do our best to ensure that you will be staying in a college that offers your subject, and there are opportunities to visit other colleges during the residential.

What support is available in college?

Your UNIQ college will be your home for the week, and is managed by a Site Manager. Site Managers are senior ambassadors and are responsible for making sure that your college is a friendly and welcoming place for you. They will organise events such as drop-ins sessions, tours and evening games and quizzes.

What are ambassadors and what do they do?

UNIQ ambassadors are current undergraduates who will take you to lectures and seminars and stay with you at your college, and some of them will be able to help you with your subject. Some of the ambassadors participated on UNIQ in previous years, and we strongly encourage that you ask your ambassadors any questions that you may have! All UNIQ ambassadors wear t-shirts so that you can identify them easily.

Do I need to stay overnight for the entire residential?

Being away from home is a really important part of coming to University. You have to learn how to balance your own budget, how to manage your time effectively, and how to juggle different demands. Living away from home is a great opportunity to meet new people from different backgrounds, with different interests to you from all over the world. We think that getting a taste of what it’s like to live away from home is really important so the residential element of the UNIQ residential is compulsory. Even those who live in Oxford or a reasonable distance for a daily commute will be expected to live on site for the duration of the residential. Living in college is a really fun experience, and you may find that you make some good friends that you keep in touch with after UNIQ! If you or your family have any specific questions or concerns, please get in touch and we will do our best to help.

What is the accommodation like?

You'll stay in student accommodation in your own individual, lockable bedroom. You will not have to share a bedroom with anyone else. There are some en suite rooms, but because so many of the colleges' buildings are historic, shared bathrooms are still quite common and you may share a bathroom with a few other students on a gender-segregated corridor. If you have an en suite room, you may be placed in a mixed-gender corridor.

What will my academic residential course look like?

Your academic timetable has been designed by Oxford lecturers and tutors to give you an idea of what university study is like. You will be taught material aimed at the level of an Oxford undergraduate, but don't worry - you will have current academic and graduate teaching staff, as well as your ambassadors, available to help and support you.

Is teaching at Oxford different from other universities?

The style of learning at Oxford will most likely be very different from the style of learning at your school or college. Each academic timetable on UNIQ is different: you might have lab work, have a tutorial, or be asked to give a presentation. Our best tip is to keep asking questions and researching aspects of your subject that interest you in your free time.

What will I do once my academic day is finished?

University is not just about studying, and UNIQ provides you with the opportunity to experience some of the wider social aspects of life at Oxford. There will be (optional) opportunities to engage in organised social activities with your college cohort, to explore Oxford and other colleges, and to relax in your college common room and ask any questions you may have to your UNIQ ambassadors and site manager.

Will I have time to work on other projects or school work during UNIQ?

UNIQ is intensive and you will have little time to complete other work whilst in Oxford. We suggest that if you have work that is due directly after or during your residential week, you make every effort to complete it before attending.

Religious observances during the residential

I will be fasting during my stay, how can this be accommodated?

If you will be fasting during your time on the residential, please get in touch with us so that we can ensure we can accommodate your requirements. Please note that if the health of a student begins to deteriorate during their fast we will request that they break their fast or return home.

Do you provide food for halal, kosher or other religious diets?

We do our best to ensure that all dietary requirements are catered for, but we cannot guarantee that halal, kosher or other religious diet food can be provided at your college during your stay on UNIQ, as each college operates its own catering services. The college will always inform you of the food available for meals and the restrictions on them. All colleges provide a vegetarian option for meals. If you have a diet that you feel will prevent you from eating in college, please let us know as soon as possible upon receiving a place on UNIQ so that we can discuss arrangements with you.

Will I be able to observe salah?

We provide opportunities for students to pray throughout the day. We ask that students notify their ambassadors on arrival of how strict they are with timings, as this will determine where you will be able to perform the prayer. We are able to provide prayer mats for students to borrow, but you may wish to bring your own, providing it is reasonably portable.

Will I have time to attend a church service during my stay?

Students who usually attend a church service on Sunday will not have time to do so when they arrive in Oxford. If students would like to attend church on Sunday, they will need to make arrangements to do this before they set off on their journey to Oxford.

Can I opt out of blood transfusions on religious grounds?

In the unlikely event that a student may require a blood transfusion or other serious medical operation and that the student/parents would not wish for this to occur, we ask that you inform UNIQ on accepting your place and we will send you a waiver to complete and return to us. Please note that under UK law the wishes of the patient and/or parent(s) may be overruled by nursing and medical staff under set conditions.