UNIQ
What is UNIQ?
UNIQ began in 2010 as a summer school with the aim of raising the aspirations of students studying at UK state schools and colleges regarding their higher education choices. UNIQ helps around 2000 students each year from low socio-economic status backgrounds and/or from areas with low progression to higher education by offering spring and summer schools, residential conferences, and a digital learning platform: 'UNIQ Digital'. UNIQ is completely free and continues to grow year after year.
For 2021, the UNIQ programme merged UNIQ Digital with an online summer school to offer one extensive programme to 2,500 students. UNIQ 2021 took into account the disrupted learning students have suffered over the past year and allowed for sustained engagement and support over a period of several months.
This year, UNIQ is combining the digital programme of support developed over the last few years with in-person academic residentials during the summer. You can find more information about the programme on the UNIQ website.
UNIQ is perfect for those who want to find out more about what studying Materials Science at Oxford is really like. Find out more about the UNIQ Materials Science Programme and how to apply in the tabs above.
Materials Science Academic Module
As part of the complete UNIQ programme, we run a Materials Science academic module to give you the opportunity to experience what studying Materials at Oxford is really like.
The module features an exciting programme filled with lectures, tutorials, practical work, and group projects alongside the chance to really get to know some of our students and tutors. Not only will you experience a taste of the academic life of an Oxford Materials undergraduate and find out more about this fascinating subject, but you will get the chance to learn more about what it is like to study and live in Oxford itself.
You can learn more about the UNIQ Materials Science programme here.
Eligibility
UNIQ is a free programme specifically for state-educated students from the UK in the first year of further education, i.e.:
- Year 12 students from England and Wales, in the first year of A level studies or equivalent
- Year 13 students from Northern Ireland, in the first year of A level studies or equivalent
- S5 students from Scotland, studying Highers or equivalent
As UNIQ is specifically an access programme, students are selected based on criteria set by UNIQ to prioritise state school students with good grades from backgrounds that are under-represented at Oxford and other highly selective universities. You can find full details of these criteria on the UNIQ website here.
For the Materials Science programme: You must be studying Maths and Physics to A2 (or equivalent). Chemistry and/or Further Maths are useful but not essential.
How to Apply
You can find out more and apply by visiting the UNIQ website.
Applications for 2024 are now closed. Details for the 2025 programme will be released later this year.
