Exceptional Pre-College Physics Program for High Schoolers at Cambridge University
Physics class in session
University of Cambridge Campus, UK

Exceptional Summer Pre-College Physics Program for High Schoolers at Cambridge University Campus

age icon 16-18 years old

time icon 2 weeks

book icon Weekly hours: 20

See Dates

Session Dates

Choose your preferred session from the options below and submit your details in order to complete your booking.

June - Day

Start 6/28/2026
End 7/11/2026
Duration 2 Weeks
Price £5,995

June - Boarding

Start 6/28/2026
End 7/11/2026
Duration 2 Weeks
Price £7,495

July - Day

Start 7/12/2026
End 7/25/2026
Duration 2 Weeks
Price £5,995

July - Boarding

Start 7/12/2026
End 7/25/2026
Duration 2 Weeks
Price £7,495

July - Day

Start 7/26/2026
End 8/8/2026
Duration 2 Weeks
Price £5,995

July - Boarding

Start 7/26/2026
End 8/8/2026
Duration 2 Weeks
Price £7,495

Course Description: Exceptional Summer Pre-College Physics Program for High Schoolers at Cambridge University Campus

🌟 Physics Summer Programme at Cambridge University 🌟

For Ages 16, 17 & 18

📍 Location: Cambridge University Colleges

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🚀 The Perfect Gateway to Physics

This fantastic camp on the Cambridge University campus is the perfect gateway to physics for ambitious 16–18-year-olds.

Advanced Pre-University Course in Physics

📚 Designed to build upon the knowledge participants already have from traditional classrooms.

🔍 Shows how this knowledge can be used to inspire further study at university.

🧠 Encourages independent thinking, research skills, and practical application.

🎓 By the end, participants will:

  • Understand university-level content

  • Know the variety of degree programmes related to physics

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👨‍🏫 Learn from Expert Academics from World-Class Universities

👥 Small class sizes averaging 7 students (max 12).

🎓 Tutors have taught undergraduates at Cambridge, Oxford & Harvard.

✅ Rigorous vetting process ensures educators are engaging, supportive, and passionate about sharing their expertise.

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🛠 Boost Your Confidence & Skills in Academic Workshops

💡 Workshops designed to unlock potential and prepare for next steps in education and career.

📖 Build study skills to support university-level learning.

📝 Past topics include:

  • Productivity Tips ⚡

  • 21st Century Technology Skills 💻

    🌍 Learn far beyond the traditional school curriculum.

    📌 Suitable for students with at least upper-intermediate English (B2).

***

📘 Example Modules — Full Descriptions

Module 1: Classical Mechanics ⚙️

The study of how objects move, tightly linked to Sir Isaac Newton and Cambridge University. Extend high school mechanics knowledge to more complex problems in kinematics.

Module 2: Wave Phenomena 🌊

Energy or matter can travel via object motion or wave evolution. Beyond water waves, countless physical processes involve waves.

Module 3: Electronic Engineering 🔌

A broad branch of engineering applying electromagnetism to digital circuits, sensors, actuators, mobile telecoms, optical fibres, and more. Learn about basic electronic components and systems, with scientific explanations of how they work.

Module 4: Optics 🔭

The study of light as a wave has produced innovations from glasses to space telescopes. Learn how light travels through mirrors, lenses, and optical apparatus.

Module 5: Electricity & Magnetism

From the Industrial Revolution onwards, electricity transformed the impossible into reality. Explore its principles and applications.

Module 6: Thermodynamics & States of Matter 🌡

Study the properties and behaviours of solids, liquids, and gases, and how matter changes states.

Module 7: Atoms, Nuclei & Elementary Particles

Discover what matter is ultimately made of, exploring symmetry in nature — from fish schools to atomic structures.

Module 8: Quantum Mechanics 🌀

Newton’s laws couldn’t explain subatomic behaviour. Learn how electrons behave as waves and particles, and how light does the same, leading to the revolutionary theory of quantum mechanics.

***

📌 Key Facts

👥 Average class size: 7

📏 Maximum class size: 12

🎯 1:1 Career Coaching

🛠 Professional Development Workshops

🌟 Personal guidance for academic & career success

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🎉 Social Programme & Excursions

Outside lessons, enjoy a busy, diverse social programme:

⚽ Zorb football

🚤 Punting on the River Cam

🕵️ Murder Mystery Night

🏫 Day trip to Oxford and its colleges

🛍 Optional trip to London with sightseeing & shopping, or Afternoon Tea in Cambridge

🎭 Talent Shows, Quiz Nights, Movie Nights, Games Nights

***

🍽 Formal Hall Dining Experience

🍷 Dress up and dine by candlelight in historic Cambridge college dining halls.

👔 Two formal dinners during your stay — a memorable, traditional occasion.

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🏠 Accommodation – Live Like a Cambridge Undergraduate

🏛 Stay in a central college of the University of Cambridge/Oxford.

🚻 Separate male & female accommodation.

📶 Wi-Fi throughout.

🛏 Single rooms with shared bathrooms (1 per 4 participants) or limited ensuite (priority for additional needs).

📜 Many buildings over 500 years old — steeped in history.

***

📦 Included in the Course Fee

✅ 13 nights’ accommodation in a central Cambridge/Oxford college

✅ Breakfast & dinner in College Hall

✅ Accommodation in individual bedroom

✅ 30 hours of academic sessions from Oxford/Cambridge tutors

✅ Study & lecture materials

✅ Mentor programme & support material

✅ All excursions (Oxford, London, Formal Hall, punting, croquet)

✅ Comprehensive summer school insurance

✅ Graduation ceremony & certificate 🎓

✅ Detailed evaluation by tutor

✅ Notebook & pen

✅ Mentor family photograph

***

🚌 Transfer Details

London Heathrow Shared Transfer Service:

  • Meet & escort from any terminal to Terminal 3

  • Departures: 11:00, 14:00, 17:00 on arrival Sunday

  • Returns: 07:00 & 12:00 on final Saturday

    💰 Fee: £180 each way

***

💰 Pocket Money Advice

💵 Suggested: £80/week for lunches & souvenirs

🏦 ATMs available in Cambridge

💳 Visa & Mastercard widely accepted

Activities

  • Outside of lessons, enjoy a busy and diverse social program including punting on the River Cam, zorb football, games night, movie night, quiz night, talent show and a murder mystery night at the college.
  • All activities and excursions are led by our team of friendly mentors, dedicated to maximizing your enjoyment.

Accommodations

  • College allocation based on dates and subject choice, assigned a few weeks before arrival.

  • All colleges are central, historical, with unique culture and character.

  • Accommodations designed for study, not luxury; many buildings over 500 years old, no air conditioning.

  • Accommodation requests for friends/siblings considered where possible.

  • Separate male and female accommodations in each college; wi-fi available throughout.

  • Single occupancy rooms with shared bathrooms (one per four participants); some ensuite facilities available, prioritized for additional needs.

  • Mixed-gender corridors for ensuite facilities; gender-separated corridors for shared bathrooms.

  • Welcome Pack includes possible college details for program dates.

  • Rooms secured with locks, housekeeping access for maintenance.

  • Breakfast and dinner included on campus

  • Host venues accommodate all dietary requirements, special attention to religious observances and medical needs (Please let us know if you need to follow any particular religious observances or have any medical requirements that we need to know about.)

  • As a student, you will experience formal dinner three times during your stay: once per week in Cambridge and at an Oxford University college on the excursion day, making formal hall a memorable occasion, so remember to bring some smart clothes!

Excursions

  • Two excursions offered: a day trip to visit Oxford and its colleges, and an optional day out in London to see famous landmarks and enjoy shopping.
  • If you opt out of the London trip, you're invited to afternoon tea in Cambridge.

Transportation

  • Arrival Time: Participants should arrive between 2 pm and 5 pm on the first Sunday of the program, with registration and accommodation showings upon arrival (accommodation ready by 3 pm).

  • London Heathrow Airport Transfers: Shared airport transfer service available from Heathrow Terminal 3 directly to Cambridge/Oxford colleges. Pastoral team to meet participants at any Heathrow terminal and escort to Terminal 3.

  • Transfer departures at 11:00, 14:00, and 17:00 on arrival Sunday; return transfers to London Heathrow Airport depart at 07:00 and 12:00 on the final Saturday.

  • Transfer Fee: Available for booking post-enrollment at £180 each way.

  • Detailed information is provided closer to the program date, including contact numbers.

  • Alternative Arrivals: For those arriving at different airports or by other means, details are in the Welcome Pack sent after enrolment confirmation.

Lesson Plan

  • 40 hours of academic sessions from Oxford University and Cambridge University tutors
  • Carefully designed study and lecture materials
  • Mentor program and access to support material

Academic Skills Workshops:

  • Unlock participants’ potential, giving them the tools to prepare for the next steps of their education and future goals.
  • Focus on enhancing study skills
  • Support for university-level learning
  • Diverse and enriching range of topics – past examples have ranged from ‘Productivity tips’ to ’21st Century Technology Skills’.
  • Unique learning experience outside traditional schools

Sample Modules:

Module 1: Classical Mechanics

  • Study movement of objects, extending high school mechanics to complex kinematics
  • Explore the contribution of Sir Isaac Newton and the University of Cambridge

Module 2: Wave Phenomena

  • Understand energy or matter propagation through wave evolution
  • Study physical processes involving waves, beyond the common water wave example

Module 3: Electronic Engineering

  • Learn the basics of electronic engineering, covering digital circuits, sensors, telecommunications
  • Introduction to electronic components and systems

Module 4: Optics

  • Explore the study of light as a wave and its applications
  • Understand how light travels through mirrors, lenses, and optical apparatus

Module 5: Electricity and Magnetism

  • Study the impact of electricity and magnetism post-Industrial Revolution
  • Explore the era of technological advancements with electricity

Module 6: Thermodynamics and States of Matter

  • Learn about different states of matter: gas, liquid, and solid
  • Study the properties and behaviors of various matter states

Module 7: Atoms-Nuclei and Elementary Particles

  • Examine the fundamental components of matter
  • Explore the concept of symmetry in nature and its role in physics

Module 8: Quantum Mechanics

  • Delve into quantum mechanics and wave-particle duality
  • Study the behavior of small objects like electrons and the properties of light

Sample timetable Academic insights 2024

Sample Tutors

Saul J:

  • Post Doctoral Research Associate between the departments of Physics and Engineering at the University of Cambridge.

  • Teaching Physics to undergraduates at Cambridge University since 2015, and bases his teaching work on a core philosophy of training logic, intuition and true physical understanding of material systems.

Guest Speakers from Previous Summers:

  • Abi Oyepitan - Former Olympian: A two-time Olympian and Commonwealth Gold and Silver winning track and field athlete.

  • Dr Lynda Shaw - Neuroscientist & entrepreneur: A journey in personal development - how to create your own set of tools to fast track success

  • Dr Nigel Warburton - Philosopher, author & journalist: How do great people find answers to deep and meaningful questions?​​

Extras

  • Transfer Fee: £180 each way.

  • Pocket Money Advice: Money we recommend that participants bring £80 per week to cover lunch each day, plus any souvenirs that they may wish to purchase. Various banks and ATMs are available throughout Cambridge, and Visa and Mastercard are widely accepted.

Security

  • This program is accredited by British Accreditation Council (BAC)

  • Meets global standards for academic provision and student welfare

  • Top priority for participant safety

  • Staff undergo enhanced background checks and safeguarding training

  • Participants assigned to a “Mentor Family” of 10 students

  • Mentors offer support, advice, and share their experiences

  • School management and supervision is managed by senior, experienced College Managers in Cambridge, Oxford, London, and Sydney

  • College Managers trained to Level 3 Safeguarding standards

  • Resident summer team and college personnel supervise sites 24/7

  • Encourage student independence within safe boundaries

  • Team supervision ensures safe and rewarding experience

Requirements

  • This program is designed for students with at least an upper-intermediate level of English (B2). If you are unsure if you meet this requirement, please contact with our advisor.

Video

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