Seven Frontier students are sat in a lecture hall. They are examining a  taxidermied Owl.
See other pages in this section

Access Programmes for Year 12 Students

Balliol has three sustained contact programmes for Year 12 students from UK state schools. The Floreat programme is designed for students who aspire to study a Humanities degree. Frontier is for those interested in Life Sciences. Fibonacci focuses on Mathematics and related fields. All of these programmes are designed to academically challenge those interested in applying to competitive universities.

Applications for our 2024 programmes are now closed.

2024 Participants can find the pre-reading for each session below:

Fibonacci

Floreat

Frontier

Balliol College Floreat Access Programme

Students are eating in the college dining hall.
Floreat participants on the summer residential.

Floreat is a year-long academic programme offered to Year 12 students from UK state schools. Applications from students in Hertfordshire, Norfolk, Suffolk and the East of England are prioritised along with service children from anywhere in the country, however students from other regions are welcome to apply. The Floreat programme offers the opportunity to engage with Oxford-style humanities teaching, and it is offered to students free of charge. The bulk of the academic content is delivered through a series of virtual academic seminars, led by Oxford University representatives and hosted after school hours. The programme also includes a residential summer school in Oxford during which students take part in a tutorial.

This opportunity suits academically able students who are interested in studying an arts or humanities programme at Oxbridge and who are keen to engage with academic ideas outside their school curriculum, ahead of applying to university the following year. 

Two students with a tutor on either side of a table, bookshelves behind.
Participants experiencing the tutorial-style teaching that Oxford offers.

Taught sessions begin in Spring Term and end shortly after Easter. Students will have work to complete prior to attending the residential in August, during which they will receive support with the application process. Participants need to commit to attending all the seminars and the residential.

In all likelihood, I would not have applied to Oxford, let alone Balliol, had I not taken part in the Floreat access scheme. The programme allowed me to meet similar people from local schools, helping me to grow in confidence both academically and socially, and helped me to realise that applying to Oxford would be the best thing I could possibly do to pursue my love of History.’ — Gregory Brinkworth came to Balliol in 2016 to read for a BA History and graduated with a first class honours degree.

Collaborating with like-minded individuals has developed both my understanding of topics and confidence in expressing my ideas.’ Alex, 2021

Balliol College Frontier Access Programme

The David Freeman Outreach Officer, Pravahi Osman, discussing the personal statement with one of our Floreat Participants. This is in the Balliol JCR, at a wooden desk with the Pantry shutters in the background.
Students on Floreat and Frontier are given a chance to have feedback and support with the draft of their Personal Statement.

Frontier is our science-based sustained contact programme which is open to Year 12 students who attend UK state schools. Applications from students in Hertfordshire, Norfolk, Suffolk and the East of England are prioritised along with service children from anywhere in the country, however students from other regions are welcome to apply. Frontier consists of a series of virtual academic seminars, for which students will have to prepare, beginning in Spring Term 2024 followed by a residential in August 2024.

This opportunity suits academically able students who are interested in studying a science programme at Oxbridge and who are keen to engage with academic ideas outside their school curriculum, ahead of applying to university the following year. Students explore topics with input from a range of science subjects.

Balliol College Fibonacci Access Programme

Fibonacci (previously called Monday Maths) is a programme for students who aspire to study maths or a heavily maths-focused course at Oxbridge or another highly competitive university. It is open to UK state school students who are in year 12 and are studying Maths A Level (Further Maths is helpful but it is not a requirement). Students should be aspiring to achieve an A* at Maths A Level. Students will take part in online sessions beginning in the Spring Term for which they will have to prepare. Therefore they need to be able to set aside up to four hours per week to accommodate this programme. The programme also includes a residential summer school in Oxford during which students take part in a tutorial. Participants also receive support with the university application process.

Applications from students in Hertfordshire, Norfolk, Suffolk and the East of England are prioritised along with service children from anywhere in the country, however students from other regions are welcome to apply.