Photo: Team Herodotus before Formal Hall (Oriel College)
Welcome to Oxford IQ Preparatory Academy (ages 13-15)
Exclusive to elite students aged 13-15 years old, The Oxford IQ Academy's summer programme offers the experience of a lifetime! You may choose to apply for a space immediately, as we operate on a rolling admissions basis!
The OxIQ Essay 2026 Contest Round 1 - STEPS
1) REGISTRATION FORM
You must register your interest in the contest below and choose one or more Fields of Interest (from which the essay questions will derive). We will send you the Essay Guidelines Package and the 2026 Oxford IQ Academy Propectus of courses.
2) Read the Guidelines, Select 1 Question, and Start Writing!
You will also be provided guidance and details for writing the essay. Contained in the information set from The Oxford IQ Prep Academy will be dates, costs, and other pertinent information regarding our courses in 2026.
We award scholarships based on merit, and the selection criteria and amounts of scholarships will be detailed in the information.
3) SUBMISSION OF THE ESSAY
Upon receipt of the essay guidelines and questions, you will have until 12 NOON UK time on 12 September 2025 to submit your essay via the action button below, or via email louise@oxford-iq.academy.
4) NOTIFICATION OF RESULTS
The Oxford IQ Academy will mark papers when they are received, and will be in touch with the Essayist by email. For the top quality essays, we offer scholarships at varying levels for Oxford IQ Academy and Oxford Exchange summer courses in Oxford in 2026.
Share the big news with your parents and school!
We encourage you to complete the enrolment forms soon after you receive an offer, as spaces on the course will be scarce.
What if I haven't received the Essay Questions & Guidelines?
REGISTRATION ISSUES
Don't panic, or send us impolite emails! As we receive thousands of registrations over the year, from time-to-time, some registrations fail to make it to our Inbox. We have learned that some schools and countries will block outgoing emails. Also, your incoming email systems may have pushed our replies to your Junk InBox.
If you have an issue, reach out to us on the WhatsApp button above in Step 1, or email us at louise@oxford-iq.academy and we will send you a form to complete and return and possibly an extension on your essay.
2026 Courses for 13-15 year old scholars
Political Leadership: Law, Economics, Politics & International Relations
Because many of our students come from the top schools in the world, and aspire to attend the top universities in the world, chances are high that these students will become national and international leaders. This popular course comes from the tradition of PPE (Philosophy, Politics, and Economics). Dreaming of leading change in the world? This is the place to start.
Business Leadership & Entrepreneurship
Whether you want to run a corporation one day, or start your own company, we teach you the essential basics of business, competition, and innovation. In the past, we taught a cohort of students from Argentina how to analyse the 'business of football' with trips to Arsenal Football Club and Chelsea Football Club. You will research a 'problem,' come up with a solution, write and present a business plan in this course.
Global Healthcare & Medicine
This course is a hands-on practical course for students with an interest in pursuing a career in the global healthcare industry. You will learn the business of medicine in the city and university in which the first COVID-19 vaccine was developed (Oxford University and Astra Zeneca). We also add a rigorous medicine component to this course that covers medical technology, biotechnology, and many other aspects of the field.
Creative Writing for Aspiring Novelists and Screenwriters
Do you have dreams of writing a novel, getting it published, and perhaps selling the rights of your story for a Hollywood film or mini-series? Do you believe you are too young to even think about writing a novel? Did you know that the YA (Young Adult) market is the fastest growing genre, and that more and more teenagers are getting published? We get right to the business of writing in this course because we believe every person has a story to tell. We teach you character development, plot and story evolution, pacing, dialogue, and other essential elements of writing. You will develop an outline for a novel in this course.
Cultural Heritage
A truly cutting edge course taught at the university level. Students learn how to operate drones and interpret Geographic Information Systems in the context of discovering archaeological sites. This course is taught by Oxford archaeologists and you will learn the basics of archaeology and complete a project by the end of the course.
Science & Technology I: Space, Earth Science, Climate Change, Artificial Intelligence, and Big Data.
Space technology is one the fastest growing tech segments in the world as lower costs are enabling a flood of new entrants to build and launch their own satellites. Learn about the space industry, how to position yourself for a career, and the essentials of satellite tech, space architectures, and space diplomacy from a former NASA official.. Technology can be an essential thread through a large variety of professional activities in which you will engage in the adult world. We cover a number of topics and allow students to focus on their areas of interest.
Other Courses on Offer: Architecture, Psychology, English Literature, Classics, and Engineering
These courses will be offered as "electives" on the enrolment forms and the Oxford IQ Preparatory Academy will select one to three of these courses in terms of popularity among students.
Oxford IQ Academy: Rewards for Hard Work in the Classroom
Dressing up for Formal Hall is always one of the highlights of the course.
The 2025 cohorts of Team Pythagoras and Team Herodotus had a blast on their study trip to London! Photo taken in front of Buckingham Palace.
Team Aristotle relaxing at Frewin Annexe Brasenose after dinner.
Oxford IQ Preparatory Academy Accreditations
The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents
At the Oxford IQ Preparatory Academy, we treat your children as if they were our own. We are Affiliate Members of ROSPA and we have strict policies on protection of students, staff, and faculty at all times during our courses.
AEGIS Members
Through The Oxford Exchange (our parent company), we are members of the Association for the Education and Guardianship of International Students (AEGIS).
DBS Enhanced Certified
We utilise an authorised service of the British Government to run police checks on each and every one of our employees and contractors.
The Oxford Exchange
The Oxford IQ Academy operates under a UK non-profit corporation that designs and manages educational courses for adults and teenagers. The Oxford Exchange: HMRC Corporation Number 13334657.