Photo: Team Herodotus before Formal Hall (Oriel College)
Welcome to Oxford IQ Academy (ages 16+)
We provide innovative residential courses in Oxford for elite students. Live, learn, and socialise in an Oxford college and live exactly like Oxford students. Join us today and embark on an exciting learning journey!
The 2026 OxIQ Essay Competition - 1st Round
GUIDANCE
CONTEST ENTRANTS: Pre-university individuals ages 16 - 18 years old (not currently enroled, or previously enroled, as a full-time university student). You must be age 16 by 24 August 2026.
STEPS FOR ENTERING THE OXFORD ESSAY CONTEST - ROUND 1:
STEP 1) REGISTRATION FORM: 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 Package normally within 1 week.
STEP 2) ESSAY PACKAGE:
We will send you The 2026 Oxford Essay Competition Round 1 Questions & Guidance and a 2026 Oxford IQ Academy Prospectus. You will be provided all guidance and details for writing the essay (the word count limit, how the essays are marked, writing guidance, etc.).
DEADLINE - ROUND 3: You will have until 12 NOON UK Time on Friday 12 September 2025 to submit your essay. We award scholarships based on merit, and the selection criteria and amounts of scholarships will be detailed in the information.
STEP 3) SUBMISSION OF ESSAY: If you choose to submit an entry for the contest after reviewing the information package, get to work on your essay of choice. When you are ready to submit, please send it to us here: admissions@oxford-iq.academy
STEP 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. Scholarships may be awarded a varying levels depending on the quality of the essay. The scholarships will be eligible for Oxford IQ Academy and Oxford Exchange summer courses in Oxford in 2026.
Study the 2026 Oxford Essay Package - Start Writing!
STEP 2
We will send you a 2026 Oxford IQ Academy Prospectus and The 2026 Oxford Essay Competition Questions & Guidance. Please allow us u
You will be provided all guidance and details for writing the essay (the word count limit, how the essays are marked, writing guidance, etc.). CHOOSE ONE ESSAY QUESTION, AND START WRITING!
Submitting Your Essay for Assessment
STEP 3
When you are ready to submit your finished work, e-mail us at admissions@oxford-iq.academy
We will be in touch with you after we assess your essay and proceed with your level of assessment that you purchased.
What if I haven't received any replies to my submissions?
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 admissions@oxford-iq.academy. We will send you the form you need to complete and return and possibly an extension on your essay.
Summer 2026 Courses in Oxford & Cambridge
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 Oxford tradition of PPE (Philosophy, Politics, and Economics) and the university that has produced more world leaders than any other university in the world. 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 an Oxford University Tutor, our Professor of Space Technology , and 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 (Electives): Classics, English Literature, Architecture, Psychology, and Engineering.
We will select a final offering of courses from which the student may choose one as an "Elective" after we survey the popularity of each course.
The 2025 Oxford IQ Academy Cohorts Exemplified Excellence!
7 July - 19 July 2025 - Oriel College
This cohort ('Team Herodotus') was made up of a very elite group of high-achieving scholars ages 16-18 from around the world. The papers that each of these students produced was at an undergraduate level!
3 August - 16 August 2025 - University College
The Athena Scholars are future female leaders who take Political Leadership, Business Leadership, Strategic Communications, and Creative Writing/English Literature. University College, Oxford
Our 2024 Oxford IQ Academy Cohorts were fabulous!
8 July - 20 July 2024 - Brasenose College
This cohort ('Team Herodotus') is made up of a group of high-achieving scholars ages 16-18 from around the world.
29 July - 10 August 2024 - University College
Team Thucydides is a cohort of 16-18 year old high-achieving scholars from around the world.
29 July - 10 August 2024 - University College
29 July - 10 August 2024 - University College
The Athena Scholars are future female leaders who take Political Leadership, Business Leadership, Strategic Communications, and Creative Writing/English Literature. University College, Oxford