Access & Outreach/
Our Programmes

We run a wide range of access and outreach programmes for learners from a variety of educational settings.

We want visiting learners and prospective applicants from our link regions to experience what it could be like to be a student at Jesus College and the University of Oxford.

It’s important that learners leave with a clear understanding of what we offer and how the Collegiate system works. Moreover, we want you to envision yourself studying here and being part of a community that welcomes everyone, regardless of their background.

Providing access opportunities to schools and colleges who aren’t able to come to Oxford is vital to our outreach work too: we regularly visit schools and colleges in our link regions to deliver engaging and inspiring programmes and activities. We’re also working on our digital outreach to improve the online resources available to potential applicants. Check out Useful Resources & Information for interview samples and admissions advice.

Click on the links below to find out more about all our programmes, and the collaborators we work with.

In January 2021 we launched an online programme to support British Bangladeshi and Pakistani students in making competitive applications to universities like Oxford. Full information can be found here.

A three-day residential for Year 12 pupils from the Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire Seren Hub regions. This is a multi-subject programme delivering a variety of lectures, workshops, seminars and activities. Students in these Hubs should contact their Hub Coordinator for details.

We are keen to hear from prospective applicants entering higher education at a non-traditional age. Mature students (covering students from age 21 to 91) come with a variety of life, work, social and cultural experiences. This often overlooked demographic of students can come to university with challenges and commitments that traditional entry students may not.

They also bring commitment, determination, and courage that can only serve to improve the institutes to which they belong!

At Jesus College we would like to encourage this diverse group to consider us as a potential choice for their Oxford application. In 2019 we collaborated with the University’s Department for Continuing Education to encourage and support prospective mature applicants. We aim to continue and develop this work and will also expand our access and outreach efforts to further support mature students in the future.

If you are a mature student or a teacher working with mature HE applicants, do get in touch to discuss how we can work with you. You might also like to watch our Applying as a Mature Student Part 1 and Part 2 on our You Tube Channel.

A fully-funded, one-week Residential School and a two-week free Online International Summer School for Welsh State School Year 12 pupils involved with the Seren programme. Find out more here.

A collaborative approach towards a common goal benefits so many pupils. In recognition of this, we work with various charities and organisations as part of our access endeavours. We’ve supported some fantastic and inspiring access and outreach work from various organisations by providing venues, resources, academic sessions, advice and/or financial support for their programmes.

The Brilliant Club

The Brilliant Club visit Jesus College for various events including launches and graduations for their Scholars programmes. Pupils come from various parts of the UK and participate in Q&As about university life, are given tours of Oxford and have lunch in the College.

Into University Oxford

Into University, East Oxford Centre, have held several Buddy Programme events at Jesus. Here we provide College tours, Q&A sessions, lunch for the group and offer support and guidance about university.

NACE

We’ve supported conferences held by the National Association for Able Children in Education. You can read ‘Oxbridge admissions interviews: “4 Cs” for success’, written by our Access Fellow, Dr Matt Williams, on the NACE website. We also participate in NACE webinars, providing advice and guidance to teachers and schools on developing skills for university.

Onyx

We’re offering financial support to help fund the publication of Onyx Magazine. Onyx is a social enterprise magazine run by Black students at the University of Oxford, with the aim of responding to under-representation both within higher academic institutions and the creative industry by platforming Black artistry. Onyx is an annual publication that promotes the work of Black writers and artists aged 16-28. The magazine is largely arts-based, including poetry, short stories and artwork, as well as more academic articles and historical think pieces. You can follow the magazine on twitterInstagram and Facebook. If you’re interested in providing financial support for future publications of this fantastic magazine, then do contact Onyx via their website.

Project Access Poland

Project Access is a global community of students and mentors working towards improving access to top Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) for disadvantaged pupils. At Jesus College we have supported Project Access Poland with a week-long Easter residential for thirty students. By providing resources, lectures and accommodation, students get an immersive and engaging experience of learning and living at the University of Oxford.

Target Oxbridge

Established and led by Rare Recruitment, Target Oxbridge is a free programme that aims to help black African and Caribbean students and students of mixed race with black African and Caribbean heritage increase their chances of getting into the Universities of Oxford or Cambridge (known collectively as Oxbridge). Since launching in 2012, Target Oxbridge has helped 81 students to secure Oxbridge offers. Jesus College is proud to provide lectures, guidance and resource support for Target Oxbridge events. We have, through generous financial support from our alumni donors, been able to fund three places for this year’s Oxford based Target Oxbridge residential.

Thinking Black

Thinking Black is a social enterprise supporting Black British students to develop key academic, communication, and leadership skills. Working with students from year 8 -12, their programmes provide opportunities to creatively imagine the future through written and spoken responses to social and political issues.​

We are proud to support Thinking Black with their Creative Writing Prize 2022! The competition launches in March and invites Black British Year 10 students to respond to a prompt using the form of writing with which they most engage.

 

In association with the University of Oxford’s Oxplore platform (the home of ‘BIG questions’) this Competition is for Year 8-11 pupils on the Seren Foundation programme at a Welsh State school. Find out more here.

Our Taster Day at Jesus College offers participants an academic-led experience including age-appropriate lectures, Q&A sessions with current Jesus students, application and interview guidance, College/city tours and lunch at the College.

These visits can be adapted to accommodate pupils from Years 5 – 13.

Below is an example timetable of a typical school visit to Jesus College. However, we can design a visit programme to suit the needs of your school or group, so do contact the Access Fellow if you’d like to discuss further.

Similar guidance sessions and lectures can be delivered in your school or college too, so do not hesitate to contact us if you would like to know more.

A typical Taster Day runs from approx. 10:30-15:00. Session times may vary depending on group size.

10:30 Arrival and ‘Ask Us Anything ‘/ Intro session
11:30 Lunch and tours
13:00 Academic Taster session
14:00 Skills session / Admissions session
14:45 Final questions and close

Founded in 2016, Universify Education provides life-changing educational courses to further educational equality. Their year-long programme works to enable Year 10-11 students from non-selective state schools to make informed decisions about their future in education. The programme aims to empower young people to achieve their full potential in education.

At Jesus College we are pleased to support Universify Education’s Easter and Summer residentials by providing accommodation, facilities and academic sessions for these programmes.

At the annual Women in Sciences Day, we host up to 100 young women scientists from our link regions for a day of supercurricular engagement and activities. Find out more here.

We also support our friends across the University with various outreach initiatives. Programmes and resources include:

OxLibris

A service run by University of Oxford librarians for sixth form students who are planning on completing an EPQ.

Oxplore

Oxplore is an engaging digital resource from the University of Oxford. As the ‘Home of Big Questions’, it aims to challenge those from 11 to 18 years with debates and ideas that go beyond what is covered in the classroom. Big questions tackle complex ideas across a wide range of subjects and reflect the kind of critical thinking students undertake at university. Visit the website to explore a variety of ‘Big Questions’ and even submit your own!

Oxford University Pakistan Society

We have supported the OxPakSoc Access Conference since 2018. OxPakSoc have also supported our British Bangladeshi and Pakistani Programme, a collaboration we hope to continue to help improve progression of students from Pakistani backgrounds to Oxford.

UNIQ

UNIQ is the University of Oxford’s flagship access programme for Year 12 state school students. This FREE programme runs each year and offers a mix of online and in-person teaching and support. UNIQ helps students prepare for University and explore subjects that interest them. It gives students the opportunity to find out if Oxford is right for them. Visit the UNIQ website for more information and how to apply.

Are you a budding artist, designer, or illustrator?

Are you in years 7-9 in a Welsh state school?

We need YOUR help!

Oxford Cymru wants a new logo to capture the spirit of collaboration between Wales and the University of Oxford. It will be used across our website, promotional materials, and social media.

Check out more information here.