FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

This page contains a list of Frequently Asked Questions and their associated answers. If you require any further information, please don't hesitate to contact our Registrations team by email on admin@oxford-royale.co.uk or by telephone on +44 (0) 845 130 60 21.

Your Course

How do I book a place on the course that I want?

Once you have decided which course you would like to attend, you can book online by following the link on the page of your course choice or by clicking on the APPLY NOW button in the top right of the page. Once your application has been submitted, you will receive an email confirming that it has been received.

If you prefer, you can download an Application Form by clicking here. You can return the Application Form to us by any of these methods:

Scan and email to admin@oxford-royale.co.uk
Fax to +44 (0) 845 280 01 22
Post to Oxford Royale Academy, St. Catherine's College, Manor Road, Oxford, OX1 3UJ, UNITED KINGDOM.

Once your booking has been processed by one of our members of staff, you will receive email confirmation of your place on the course of your choice. A welcome pack will also be sent to you in the post. If at any time you would like to discuss your booking with a course advisor, please feel free to email admin@oxford-royale.co.uk or call us on +44 (0) 845 130 60 21.

How do I pay for my course?

All courses require a 495 GB Pounds deposit to secure the booking. You may either pay the full course fee when you book your place, or pay the depost amount and then the balance at a later date. The balance clearance is required at least 60 days before the start date of the course. Where the student is booking less than 60 days before the start date, the balance must be covered in full.

Online enrolments will require a Debit or Credit Card payment of at least the deposit amount. Students submitting their enrolment via the paper application form can pay by Debit or Credit Card, Bank Transfer or Cheque (made payable to "Oxford Royale Academy").

What do my course fees include?

All course fees include the following:

Classes and tuition (21 taught hours per week)
Study files / materials
Guest lectures by academic speakers
Personalised academic reports and graduation certificate
Accommodation in the University of Oxford (see our accommodation page for the specific colleges)
Meals in the Hall
Free WiFi (subject to availability in College)
Daily updates for parents and family on the ORA campus blogs
Medical / travel insurance
Wide selection of afternoon and evening activities
3 coach excursions per two-week course
Welcome and graduation events (parents invited)
A multitude of extras, including an ORA notebook, year group photo and course memento video

I want to change to another course or study option, is this possible?

If you wish to change your course or study options (including dates), please do not hesitate to contact us. However, changes to courses are always subject to availability. For this reason, it may be more difficult for us to accommodate any changes requested less than 60 days before the course start date.

If I need to cancel my booking, will I get my money back?

Oxford Royale Academy understands that students may be forced to cancel their reservations for a variety of reasons. All Oxford Royale Academy courses come with travel insurance included, the details of which (inlcuding financial limits and policy exclusions) can be found on our website here. We recommend that all students and their families read the policy information, and take out separate cover if the limits are insufficient or any of the exclusions apply.

If you are forced to cancel through illness or injury, then you will be able to claim on the insurance policy, subject to the policy's terms and conditions and exclusions.

For any other cancellation reason, Oxford Royale Academy's terms and conditions for refunds are as follows:

Any cancellation must be received in writing and can only be on the following terms. No refund of the £495.00 deposit will be made under any circumstances. For cancellations before your course start date, the remainder of the course fees less the deposit amount will be proportionally refunded as per the below table.

Period before start date	Total refunded
120 days +	100%
90-119 days	50%
45-89 days	10%
0-44 days	0%

Cancellations after the commencement date of the course for any reason will receive no refund of any course fees.

I want to attend one of your English Language courses: how will you know what my level of English is and what sort of tuition I need?

All students registered to attend our English Language courses will be required to take an English Language Placement Test, which will assess the relative abilities of each student. Students are then placed into ability groups based on the results of their assessment, and the material that they study is tailored to the level of the class.

Once you have booked your place on a course we will send you information on how to take our online Placement Test. This test should take approximately one hour and should be taken by the student at least one month prior to their arrival date.

Please note that Oxford Royale Academy English courses do not cater for complete English beginners.

Can I take more than one course?

It is certainly possible to take more than one course and combine a variety of study programmes. This can be done in two ways:

Enrol in two different programmes. For example, you may wish to have two weeks on the Broadening Horizons course and then two more weeks SAT Preparation.
Enrol in the same programme twice, but choose different subject options. For example, you may wish to have four weeks on the New Perspectives course, choosing Creative Writing & Experiemental Psychology for the first two weeks, followed by Human Biology and Physics & Chemistry for the second two weeks.

Should you have any queries about how to take more than one course please do not hesitate to contact us.

Will I receive a graduation certificate?

Yes, students will be awarded an Oxford Royale Academy Graduation Certificate in their chosen course upon satisfactory completion of the course. This will be presented in a graduation ceremony on the final evening of the course.

Bar - In college 3.jpg

Arriving and Departing

When should I arrive for my course?

The day of arrival for all courses is always a Sunday. You will need to check the dates of your course to find out which Sunday you need to arrive on. You may arrive any time from 12:00 on Sunday, though we recommend that you aim to arrive before 17:00, as there is a welcome reception for all new students and parents at this time. On arrival you will need to register at your campus and sign in. You will receive your room keys and course information at this point.

What happens on the first day?

Students should arrive between 12:00 and 17:00 to register for their course at their campus. At 17:00-18:00 there will be a welcome reception for all new students, parents and family members. The welcome reception will give the students a chance to meet the director and the staff who will be looking after them during their stay. Following this, students will go for their dinner in college, and will then attend their Induction talk with the Programme Director, who will outline all of the safety information and will remind students of the key rules of the programme.

How do I get to Oxford?

Getting to the UK (London)

The most convenient airports in relation to Oxford are the major London airports: Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted or Luton. London is one hour away from Oxford on the train and between one hour 40 minutes and two hours by bus. Students may also wish to consider flying into Birmingham, which is one hour away from Oxford on the train.

Students can also reach London St Pancras Station on the Eurostar. On arrival at London St Pancras students can take the London Underground (or a taxi) to London Paddington station, from where they should take a First Great Western train to Oxford.

Getting to Oxford

Students can either take the train or the ‘Airline’ bus (from Heathrow or Gatwick) from London to Oxford. For further information, please refer to your Welcome Pack. Oxford Royale Academy also offers an airport transfer service to the major airports. Please click here for more details.

When should I leave at the end of my course?

Courses will finish on a Saturday and students should check out and return their keys by 10:00.

Bar - LMH.jpg

Accommodation

Will I have to share a room/facilities?

Accommodation in St. Peter's College (13-15 year olds) and Lady Margaret Hall (16-18 year olds) will either be single or twin.
Accommodation in Jowett Walk (13-15 year olds), St Catherine's College (16-18 year olds), Balliol College (16-18 year olds) and Corpus Christi College (Adults) will be single bedrooms.

Sharing your room with fellow students is a great way of getting to know people and making friends. Accommodation in St. Peter's College, St. Catherine’s College, Balliol College and Corpus Christi College have shared bathroom facilities. Adult Cultural Courses at Corpus Christi College may have private bathroom facilities subject to availability.

Are boys and girls housed separately?

Whilst male and female students under 18 years old are housed in the same building, their rooms are on separate corridors and/or staircases.

Are there laundry facilities on my campus?

Most of the Colleges have laundry facilities. Tokens can be purchased from the College lodge or Campus office. Oxford Royale Academy staff are on hand to assist.

How secure are the campuses?

All our programmes take place in secure, supervised premises. The College entrances are supervised 24 hours a day by college porters. All students under the age of 18 must check-in regularly during the day: at roll-call at breakfast; at their morning classes; in the afternoon for lessons, workshops or activities; at dinner; and in the evening before curfew. All campuses which house students under the age of 18 will have a curfew time, depending on age.

Each campus office has its own safe where students may deposit items of value such as passports, travel documents, bank cards etc.

All campuses have residential staff who are contactable 24 hours a day.

Bar - Ashmolean 2.jpg

Meals

Are meals included in my programme fees?

Breakfast and dinner are included for all course fees, however lunch is included only for students under 16.

For further information on what your course fees include please refer to your course page on our website.

Does my programme accommodate my special dietary requirements?

If you have any dietary requirements you must let us know at least 30 days in advance of your course start date so that we can cater for your requirements.

All meals offer a vegetarian option (which must be booked in advance). We are not always able to provide special Kosher or Halal food as a dining option; students with these dietary requirements will be offered the vegetarian option, so you must let us know in advance what foods and meats you cannot eat.

All medical dietary requirements such as lactose intolerance and any food allergies must be reported to us at least 30 days in advance of your course start date so that we can ensure you receive the correct meals.

Visas and Insurance

Do I need a visa to travel to the UK?

If your country is part of the EU or the European Economic Area you will not require a visa. It is always best for you to check your visa requirements directly with the UK Border Agency. Please click here for more information.

What kind of Insurance do I need?

Oxford Royale Academy provides all students with insurance. Students from the EU or EEA should also bring a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) as well. Please click here for more information on insurance. Please pay particular attention to the exclusions to the policy and the financial limits of cover. If any of the exclusions apply or you feel the financial limits are not sufficient, you will need to arrange your own separate travel insurance.

Useful Information

What kind of clothing should I bring?

Once you have booked your place on a course you will receive a Welcome Pack, which will contain information on what clothes to bring and a list of other packing suggestions.

In July and August, it is normally warm in Oxford. However, it can sometimes rain quite heavily (even in the summer) and so it is important that some warm clothes and waterproof clothing are packed. Recent weather reports and forecasts can be found online at uk.weather.com

Are parents allowed to visit?

Parents, guardians, friends and relatives are invited to attend the welcome reception for new students between 17:00-18:00 on the day of arrival. However they are respectfully asked to depart the campus after this time as the programme will have officially begun.

Parents and family are welcome to visit on weekends when students have free time, but should bear in mind that the students may be going on a trip or excursion and so should find out ahead of arriving whether the student will be available on campus or not.

Should I bring a mobile phone?

Students should certainly bring their mobile phones with them (if the phone will work in the UK), as this provides family and friends as well as the programme staff with a good means of contacting them. However, please note that mobile phones are not permitted in classrooms and lessons.

We also recommend that students bringing their own mobile phones switch Data Roaming off, to avoid incurring large unwanted telephone bills.

What are the lesson times, and what happens outside of lessons?

Morning classes usually take place between 09:00 and 12:30, with a 30 minute break between 10:00 and 11:00. Afternoon classes take place on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and usually begin at 13:30 and finish at 15:30. Please note that these timings are just a guide, and the actual timings of lessons at a particular campus may be different.

Outside of lesson time, students are kept fully engaged with a variety of extra-curricular activities, excursions and guest lectures, all organised by our dedicated events team. Students also enjoy various themed parties at local venues.

Will I have the opportunity to visit other places in the UK during my course?

Oxford Royale Academy offers a variety of trips to sites of historical and cultural interest. For further information please see our Sightseeing Tours.

What happens in the case of an accident or an emergency?

All of Oxford Royale Academy’s campuses have residential staff, so there is always someone on site 24 hours a day. There is also a 24 hour emergency phone number for each campus, which both students and family/friends may call. This telephone number will be emailed to all students before their course date, and will also be available on our website during the summer.

All students under the age of 18 must provide the contact details of one parent or guardian. In addition, if their parent or guardian is likely to be unavailable during the course dates, students are asked to provide another Emergency Contact who our staff will be able to contact.Students are reminded that it is vitally important that all contact details they give us are up-to-date, so that we have the correct information in case of an emergency.

Finances

Do I need to bring money with me, and if so how much?

There are plenty of banks and ATM cash machines (which may charge you for withdrawing money) in Oxford. However it is also advisable to come prepared with a variety of payment means e.g. traveller’s cheques, bank cards, and cash. Students may keep money in their Campus safe.

You will probably want to bring some cash with you for your first day’s travel, to cover food and any emergency purchases that are required.

Guidance on personal expenses is difficult as it depends on the individual. General guidelines on the amount of pocket money to bring are provided in the student Welcome Packs.

COURSES

FAQs