Work one-on-one with an Oxbridge, top UK, or Ivy League researcher to design, conduct, and write up an original piece of academic research in a discipline of your choosing.
The Oxford Scholar Programme is a fully bespoke, one-on-one research experience. Each student is matched with a single faculty mentor — a researcher at an Oxbridge, top UK, or Ivy League institution — who guides them through every stage of producing an original piece of academic work.
There are no cohorts, no group sessions, no fixed syllabi. The topic, pace, methodology, and output are entirely tailored to you and your intellectual interests.
The Oxford Publication Fellowship (£3,900) includes everything in this programme, plus additional mentor meetings and dedicated support to help you prepare and submit your research to a peer-reviewed journal.
View the Oxford Publication FellowshipEvery Oxford Scholar Programme runs over ten to fourteen weeks, scheduled around your school commitments. The pace is flexible, but each student moves through the same five research milestones with their mentor. Here is what a typical journey looks like from your first session to your finished paper.
You meet your mentor, map the existing literature in your area, and begin narrowing a broad interest into a specific, answerable research question. By the end of week two you have a working title and a reading list.
Your mentor helps you choose and justify a methodology — whether that is a statistical analysis, a close reading, a lab-style experiment, or a comparative case study — and you write a short research proposal that frames the rest of the project.
This is the core of the programme. You collect and analyse your data or sources, meet your mentor regularly to troubleshoot, and start drafting sections as your findings take shape.
You write a complete first draft and revise it across two or three rounds of detailed mentor feedback, focusing on the clarity of your argument and the rigour of your evidence.
Your mentor reviews and approves the finished paper, you receive your OCAR certificate, and you leave with a genuine academic output to reference in your university applications as an international student.
The Oxford Scholar Programme is designed for motivated secondary-school students, typically aged 15 to 18, who are ready to work independently on a sustained research project. You do not need prior research experience — only genuine curiosity and the discipline to meet regularly with your mentor.
Unsure whether your grades are competitive for a top university? Our guide to what GPA you need for Oxford or Cambridge puts the academic picture in context.
Students finish with a complete academic research paper, typically 4,000 to 8,000 words, structured like genuine scholarship: an abstract, a literature review, a clear methodology, original analysis, and a referenced bibliography. It is the kind of work that stands out in a personal statement and gives you something substantive to discuss at interview.
Matching is done by hand, not by algorithm. When you apply, you tell us your subject interests and the kind of question you want to explore. Our academic team then selects a mentor from our network of Oxbridge, top UK, and Ivy League PhD researchers whose expertise genuinely overlaps with your topic — so you are guided by someone who works in the field, not merely near it. If the fit is not right after your first session, we will rematch you at no cost. You can read more about how our different research programmes at Oxford and Cambridge compare, or explore what OCAR is and who we work with.
The Oxford Scholar Programme fee is a single, all-inclusive £2,000 — there are no hidden costs for materials, certificates, or application guidance. We offer interest-free payment plans to make the programme accessible, and a limited number of need-based partial scholarships each intake.
| Option | Structure | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Pay in full | One payment at enrolment | £2,000 |
| 2-part plan | £1,000 at enrolment, £1,000 at the midpoint | £2,000 |
| 4-part plan | Four monthly instalments of £500 | £2,000 |
| Need-based aid | Partial scholarships assessed on application | Reduced |
Payment plans are interest-free. Contact admissions to discuss scholarship eligibility before you apply.
The programme runs over ten to fourteen weeks, with regular one-to-one sessions scheduled around your school timetable. The exact length depends on your topic and pace.
No. The programme is built for students producing their first serious piece of research. Your mentor guides you through every stage, from framing a question to referencing your bibliography.
The Oxford Scholar Programme (£2,000) produces a complete original research paper. The Oxford Publication Fellowship (£3,900) includes everything here plus additional mentoring and dedicated support to submit your work to a peer-reviewed journal.
Yes. All mentoring takes place online, so students can join from anywhere in the world. Admissions are rolling, so you can begin at a time that suits you.
A completed research paper gives you concrete evidence of independent academic ability and a rich topic to discuss at interview. See our advice on preparing for an Oxford or Cambridge interview.