Balliol runs a number of programmes and events which are designed to widen access to the University of Oxford, with a specific focus on schools in the East of England. To find out which Oxford college is responsible for outreach in your region, please click here.
You may also find it useful to look at the East of England website, the University Outreach Events Calendar and Oxford’s Astrophoria Foundation Year Programme.
Insight Into Maths, Science and Humanities Talks
Our Insight Talk Series consists of online academic sessions in which Oxford University Graduates introduce topics that link to their own research. Sessions take the form of workshops, and students will have the opportunity to ask questions. These are super-curricular programmes which will introduce participants to new areas of knowledge.
The programmes are aimed towards students in Year 12, and interested Year 11s. These events are free, and open to any interested applicants. There is no limit to the number of talks that students can attend. The sessions also will be recorded and uploaded at a later date.
Insight into Maths Talk Series 2025–2026
Topology and Modern Geometry — Tuesday 11 November 2025 4.00–5.00pm
Creative Equations: Using Maths to Solve Real World Problems — Thursday 13 November 2025 4.00–5.00pm
How General Relativity Shapes Our Universe — Thursday 20 November 2025 4.00–5.00pm
The Future of Artificial Intelligence and Your Part in It — Tuesday 9 December 2005 4.00–5.00pm
Cybersecurity and How to Become and Ethical Hacker — Tuesday 16 December 2025 4.00–5.00pm
An Introduction to Monads and their Application in Probability — Monday 12 January 2026 4.00–5.00pm — To book a place on this talk please complete this form at least 48 hours before this event.
Topology and The Shape of Cancer- Thursday 15 January 2026 4.00–5.00pm To book a place on this talk please complete this form at least 48 hours before this event.
An Introduction to Universal Approximation Theorem- Monday 19 January 2026 4.00–5.00pm To book a place on this talk please complete this form at least 48 hours before this event.
How Mathematics Makes Noisy Photos Clear: My Journey into Image Denoising — Tuesday 20 January 2026 4.00–5.00pm To book a place on this talk please complete this form at least 48 hours before this event.
Flying Through Space on a Giant Doughnut: Symmetries in Classical Mechanics- Thursday 29 January 2026 4.00–5.00pm To book a place on this talk please complete this form at least 48 hours before this event.
COVID, Chaos & the Economy: What a Virtual Economy Can Teach Us About the Real One — Tuesday 10 February 2026 4.00–5.00pm To book a place on this talk please complete this form at least 48 hours before this event.
Using Maths to Model the Spread of Disease and to Treat Cancer — Tuesday 24 February 2026 4.00–5.00pm To book a place on this talk please complete this form at least 48 hours before this event.
Calculus, Covid and Competition: When Maths Meets Biology Wednesday 25 February 2026 4.00–5.00pm To book a place on this talk please complete this form at least 48 hours before this event.
An Introduction to Economics and Finance Tuesday 10 March 2026 4.00–5.00pm To book a place on this talk please complete this form at least 48 hours before this event.
Recordings of the 2025–26 Insight into Maths Talks can be found here.
The 2024–2025 Insight into Maths Talks have now concluded. Recordings of the lectures can be found here.
Insight into Science 2025–2026
Using Imaging and Artificial Intelligence to Diagnose Hypertension Disorders in Pregnancy — Thursday 6 November 2025 4.00–5.00pm
Beyond Mendelian Inheritance: Exploring Evolution in the Yellowstone Wolves — Monday 1 December 2025 4.00–5.00pm
A.I in Biology — AlphaFold Protein Predictions and their Relevance to Current Research ‑Monday 15 December 2025 4.00–5.00pm
The Chemistry of Everyday Life and Sustainable Chemistry — Thursday 8 January 2026 4.00–5.00pm To book a place on this talk please complete this form at least 48 hours before this event.
Kiss, Marry or Avoid? : The Role of Sexual Selection in Evolution- Wednesday 14 January 2026 4.00–5.00pm To book a place on this talk please complete this form at least 48 hours before this event.
The Neurochemistry of Addiction — Wednesday 21 January 2026 4.00–5.00pm To book a place on this talk please complete this form at least 48 hours before this event.
Conservation Ecology: Understanding and Protecting the Wild — Monday 26 January 2026 4.00−5.00pm To book a place on this talk please complete this form at least 48 hours before this event.
Harnessing the Power of Biology: Methods and Applications of Engineering Biology Across the Scale — Tuesday 27 January 2026 4.00–5.00pm To book a place on this talk please complete this form at least 48 hours before this event.
Dinosaur Biology — Sauropod Gigantism: How and at What Cost? — Wednesday 28 January 2026 4.00–5.00pm To book a place on this talk please complete this form at least 48 hours before this event.
Pharmacology- When Science Goes Wrong: Ethics and Safety in Drug Development — Monday 2 February 2026 4.00–5.00pm To book a place on this talk please complete this form at least 48 hours before this event.
Genetic Engineering: How Plants Could be the Climate Heroes We’ve been Waiting for — Tuesday 3 February 2026 4.00–5.00pm To book a place on this talk please complete this form at least 48 hours before this event.
An Introduction to Agroforestry as a Food System:Exploring its Impact on Human and Natural Environments — Wednesday 4 February 2026 4.00–5.00pm To book a place on this talk please complete this form at least 48 hours before this event.
An Introduction to Neuroscience and the Physiology of the Brain — Thursday 5 February 2026 4.00–5.00pm To book a place on this talk please complete this form at least 48 hours before this event.
How We Design New Medicine: From Atoms to Treatment — Monday 9 February 2026 4.00–5.00pm To book a place on this talk please complete this form at least 48 hours before this event.
The Science of Crystals From Clocks to Chocolate — Wednesday 11 February 2026 4.00–5.00pm To book a place on this talk please complete this form at least 48 hours before this event.
Hot Mess: Why Climate Change Needs All of Us - Monday 23 February 2026 4.00–5.00pm To book a place on this talk please complete this form at least 48 hours before this event.
Exploring Space: Searching for Habitable Worlds — Thursday 26 February 2026 4.00–5.00pm To book a place on this talk please complete this form at least 48 hours before this event.
Quantum Physics in Pictures — Monday 2 March 2026 4.00–5.00pm To book a place on this talk please complete this form at least 48 hours before this event.
The Physics of Evolution: Is Evolution Biased Towards Symmetry? — Tuesday 3 March 4.00–5.00pm To book a place on this talk please complete this form at least 48 hours before this event.
Defining and Classifying Species — Monday 16 March 2026 4.00–5.00pm To book a place on this talk please complete this form at least 48 hours before this event.
The Fundamentals of Renewable Energy — Tuesday 17 March 2026 4.00–5.00pm To book a place on this talk please complete this form at least 48 hours before this event.
The Invisible Universe: The Search for Dark Matter — Monday 23 March 2026 4.00–5.00pm To book a place on this talk please complete this form at least 48 hours before this event.
Recordings of the 2025–2026 Insight into Science Talks can be found here.
The 2024–2025 Insight into Science Talks have now concluded. Recordings of the lectures can be found here.
Talks from previous years (with accompanying video links) can also be found here.
Insight into Humanities
English — William Blake: Poetry and Visual Art in the Songs of Innocence and Experience — Wednesday 19 November 4.00–5.00pm Wednesday 19 November 4.00–5.00pm
Law — What do we do if the Law Doesn’t Recognise a Harm? — Maternity Harms in the NHS- Tuesday 25 November 4.00–5.00pm
English — Interwar Writing of the 1930s: How First World War Literature Inspired Writers of the Spanish Civil War Thursday 27 November 2025 4.00–5.00pm
History — How Empire Shaped Medicine Wednesday 3 December 2025 4.00–5.00pm
Law — Introduction to Human Rights Law and the Right to Protest — Thursday 4 December 2025 4.00–5.00pm
History — Decoding Medieval Documents: Making Sense of the Treasure in Our Archives — Monday 8 December 2025 4.00–5.00pm
English- The Making of Modernism: An Exploration of Periodicals and Little Magazines — Thursday 11th December 2025 4.00–5.00pm
History — How Did the Romans Protect Their Tombs From Being Raided? Tuesday 13 January 2026 4.00–5.00pm To book a place on this talk please complete this form at least 48 hours before this event.
English/History — Performing Gender: Cross Dressing and Androgyny on 18th Century Stage- Thursday 22 January 2026 4.00–5.00pm To book a place on this talk please complete this form at least 48 hours before this event.
Classics/Philosophy — Personal and Political Responsibility in Greek Drama — Thursday 12 February 2026 4.00–5.00pm To book a place on this talk please complete this form at least 48 hours before this event.
Politics/Philosophy — Why Should We Obey the Law? Wednesday 4 March 2026 4.00–5.00pm To book a place on this talk please complete this form at least 48 hours before this event.
Politics/Philosophy — Do We Owe Anything to Future Generations? Monday 9 March 2026 4.00–5.00pm To book a place on this talk please complete this form at least 48 hours before this event.
Classics — Mirage and Militia; The Idea of Sparta in Ancient Greece and Rome Wednesday 11 March 2026 4.00–5.00pm To book a place on this talk please complete this form at least 48 hours before this event.
Political Philosophy — What is Justice? Wednesday 18 March 2026 3.45–4.45pm To book a place on this talk please complete this form at least 48 hours before this event.
The 2024–2025 Insight into Humanities Talks have now concluded. Recordings of the lectures can be found here.
Mind the Gap: Moving from Studying A Level English to English at Degree Level
This talk is aimed at Year 12s and interested Year 11s. It addresses the different teaching styles and essay writing conventions at degree level, as well as what to look at when considering different undergraduate courses.
A recording of the talk can be found here.
Discovery Programme for Year 10 Students
Each year, the College runs the Discovery Programme which is a sustained contact programme for groups of Year 10 students who attend UK state schools. Discovery consists of a series of online academic sessions in which Oxford University Graduates introduce a topic that links to their own research. Sessions take the form of workshops, for which participants will be expected to complete a small amount of preparation which they can record in their programme booklets. A teacher from the school needs to attend the session with the students and the same students should attend each session. This is a super-curricular programme which will introduce participants to new areas of knowledge.
Applications for the 2026 programme are now open.
What will the programme cover?
The programme will introduce topics that students will not usually have covered in school. Our 2025 programme included Art History, Biology, Chemistry, Economics, English, Law, Machine Learning, Philosophy, Politics and Psychology.
How does it work?
Schools can request to attend our live online workshops, which run on Thursdays between 3.30−4.30pm from March until June. Alternatively, schools can opt to receive recordings of sessions and participant booklets to be used at a time of their choosing. Schools which join live sessions, must provide a teacher to supervise the participants and students will need individual access to a computer or tablet in order to be able to interact. This is a sustained contact programme therefore the same group of students should attend each session.
We can only accept a maximum of 20 students per school for the live programme. We will prioritise the most disadvantaged schools from our link regions of Hertfordshire, Norfolk and Suffolk however, schools from other regions of the UK are still welcome to apply.
Schools may request access to recordings from previous years, alongside supporting resources, by completing this form.
Year 12 Try Before You Buy Days
In the Spring and Summer Terms, Balliol College hosts a series of free Try Before You Buy Days for disadvantaged prospective applicants. These sessions are aimed at UK state school students in Year 12, and provide the chance to engage with subject-specific Oxford style tutorials.
Who are they for?
Serious applicants in Year 12 at UK state schools, who are studying the appropriate qualifications required for their chosen course at Oxford.
What will the day involve?
Each day will feature an Oxford style tutorial, a guided tour of Balliol College from a current undergraduate student and a talk on the admissions process. A two course free lunch will be provided in the Balliol Hall. Participants will need to complete work in advance in order to take part in the tutorial session.
Please note that support with travel costs will be only be available for the most disadvantaged applicants who live in households which fall into POLAR 4 categories 1 or 2 or ACORN categories 4 or 5 or IMD decile 1 or 2.
You can find your POLAR 4 score by visiting the Office for Students website and entering your postcode into the search box (make sure that there are no spaces in your postcode). You can find your ACORN score from the Acorn Webpage. You can find you IMD Decile by using the IMD webpage.
How can I apply?
Prospective applicants will only be able to attend only one Try Before You Buy event. These events are in great demand therefore applicants must ensure that they are able to attend and are able to complete the work and return it by the deadline which is usually a week before the event. Details of the 2026 Try Before You Buy Days will be added in January.
Try Before you Buy Days in 2025 included tutorials in Biochemistry, Biology, Biomedical Science, Chemistry, Economics, English, French, History, Law, Maths, Medicine, Physics and PPE (Philosophy, Politics and Economics).
Please note that there may be different arrival times for different groups. Registration will either be 10.15−10.40 with the day ending at 14.30 or registration 10.40−11.15 with the day ending at 15.30. You will be notified in advance about your arrival and finish time.
Subject Taster Days for Year 12 students
The College runs free subject-specific Taster Days. These sessions take place on site, and include academic lectures, admissions information talks and a demonstration of an Oxford style interview and an opportunity to speak to our tutors and go on a College tour with our undergraduates. A two course hot lunch will be provided in Hall.
Any student who is in Year 12 at a UK state-funded school is welcome to apply. We will prioritise applications from disadvantaged students, and from groups that are currently under represented at Oxford.
These Subject Taster Days typically run between March and June and details of 2026 events will be published during Spring Term of 2026.
Please note that support with travel costs will be only be available for the most disadvantaged applicants who live in households which fall into POLAR 4 categories 1 or 2 or ACORN categories 4 or 5 or IMD decile 1 or 2.
You can find your POLAR 4 score by visiting the Office for Students website and entering your postcode into the search box (make sure that there are no spaces in your postcode). You can find your ACORN score from the Acorn Webpage. You can find you IMD Decile by using the IMD webpage.
In 2025 Balliol College offered Subject Taster Days in the following subjects, Biology, Chemistry, Engineering, English, History, Modern Languages and Physics and Philosophy
Fibonacci, Floreat and Frontier Access Programmes for Year 12 Students
Balliol offers three year long academic programmes: Floreat, Frontier and Fibonacci. The courses are open to Year 12 students from state schools across the UK, and start in the Spring Term. If you would like to find out more about these programmes, including a recording of this year’s online open evening, please see the Access Programmes web page.
Oxford for East of England: Springboard
Our Springboard video collection is intended for school pupils in Years 11, 12 and 13. Each video provides an introduction to a new topic, before guiding students through activities and further resources. In order to access these videos, you will be asked to complete a short series of feedback questions.
Public Admissions Talks
We provide online presentations on the Oxbridge admissions process. These are specifically for schools in our link regions, and suitable for students, parents and teachers. If you are interested in arranging a talk for your school or college, please email: outreach@balliol.ox.ac.uk.
Personal Statement Workshops
We provide Personal Statement Workshops for Year 12 students. If you are interested in arranging a session for your school or college, please email: outreach@balliol.ox.ac.uk.
CPD for Teachers
Balliol is now offering bespoke CPD sessions for teachers of Biology, Chemistry and Physics who work in state schools. These are provided via one-hour online meetings which take place at a mutually agreed time. There is no cost for this provision. Teachers who are interested should complete this form.
Other access events and programmes
The following events and programmes are run by Oxford University:
- University calendar of events to support prospective applicants.
- UNIQ - An access programme for state school students from under-represented groups.
- Opportunity Oxford — An academic bridging programme that helps to prepare talented UK offer holders from under-represented backgrounds for successful student careers at our university.
- Target Oxbridge - A programme that aims to assist Black African and Caribbean students, and students of mixed race with Black African and Caribbean heritage, with the Oxbridge admissions process.
- The Astrophoria Foundation Year Programme — A one-year foundation programme for UK state school students with significant academic potential, who have experienced severe personal disadvantage or a disrupted education. This is specifically for students whose circumstances have resulted in them being unable to apply directly for an Oxford undergraduate degree. The foundation year is free of charge. This includes the student’s tuition, term-time accommodation, and travel to and from Oxford at the start and end of each term. The student will also be entitled to a non-repayable bursary to cover living expenses.