Elite University Preparation at Abbey College Cambridge
Every year Abbey College Cambridge students progress to study at some of the world’s best universities including Oxbridge Colleges, Medical Schools, Top 10 ranked UK Universities and prestigious universities located outside of the UK.
Our impressive record of university success is built on three core elements that we like to call our Abbey College Cambridge ‘Trinity of Excellence’; outstanding academic results, mastery of the English language, and our industry-leading Elite University Preparation programme.
What is the Elite University Preparation Programme?
The Abbey College Cambridge Elite University Preparation programme offers bespoke university application preparation and support combined with undergraduate level knowledge building. The programme is tailored to each individual student’s needs, with the ultimate goal of securing a place on their first-choice undergraduate course at a top-ranked university.
Who is the Elite University Preparation programme for?
The programme will be taken by all Abbey College Cambridge A Level and International Foundation Programme students.
Elite University Preparation Programme Schedule
A Level, Year 12
Students joining the A Level programme in September will spend their first term attending Abbey Inspires evening academic lectures and activities whilst they settle into the academic programme. Abbey Inspires events are held throughout the school year and focus on topics above the traditional A Level syllabus. Sessions are delivered by Abbey College Cambridge teachers and guest speakers from the world of academia and industry.
At the same time, personal tutors will conduct informal meetings with students with their students to discuss their university aspirations.
In January, Year 12 students will join our Pre-Degree Diploma Programme. This forms the core of our elite university preparation programme, with two extra hours of in-class teaching each week, supplemented by out of class study. There are multiple subject areas for students to choose from based around the most popular university study areas, such as Medicine, Computer Science, Engineering, Law and Business – but we can also support students who want to pursue less commonly chosen subjects. Sessions are led by Abbey College Cambridge tutors who are also subject experts.
For the remainder of Year 12, the Pre-Degree Diploma will focus on knowledge building in their chosen subject, at first developing a broad understanding, before working with their tutors to concentrate their reading on the particular topics that interest them most. Reading is set at an undergraduate level.
Year 12 culminates in our end of year Pre-Degree Diploma Conference, where students work in small groups to develop and present a research project based on their area of interest to the rest of the school.
A Level, Year 13
From the start of Year 13, the focus of the Pre-Degree Diploma moves knowledge building to university preparation and application. Students will work with a specialist UCAS Tutor for their subject area to refine their university application and personal statement, and to prepare to sit any admissions tests or interviews required by their target universities.
Oxbridge and Medicine & Dentistry candidates will have their applications approved and submitted by the mid-October deadline. Applications for all other university courses will be submitted by the end of November (ahead of the UCAS deadline in late January). The final application submission is overseen by our Directors of Studies, who are experts in the university application process, working in partnership with our UCAS Advisors, Department Heads, and Personal Tutors.
Oxbridge applicants will be invited to interview in early December, and we will finalise our students’ interview preparation during November and December.
British universities usually issue offers between November and May; during this time our UCAS advisors and Directors of Studies will continue to council students and to be available to them.
Specialist Medicine University Preparation
From the Spring term of Year 12, students who have joined our Medicine Pre-Degree Diploma will also begin a programme of specialist medical school preparation. This programme will involve 5 hours a week of specialist medicine application preparation sessions delivered by Abbey College Cambridge tutors. (Please note that it is expected that Medicine students will take a maximum of 3 A-Level subjects in order to facilitate the extra medicine preparation work).
Learn more about the Abbey College Cambridge Medicine Preparation Programme.
Specialist Oxbridge University Preparation
Students who have expressed a desire to apply to Oxbridge colleges will also have the opportunity to apply in January to be considered for a place on our Oxbridge Candidate Programme. Students who have applied will then undergo a selection progress to be successfully offered a place on the programme, which will be delivered in partnership with Oxbridge application specialists from Leading Education. Students who are accepted onto this programme will be able to participate at no extra cost.
Learn more about the Abbey College Cambridge Oxbridge Candidate Programme.
Elite University Preparation, Programme Comparison
| Elite University Preparation | Oxbridge Candidate Programme | Medicine Preperation Programme | |
|---|---|---|---|
| UCAS Support | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Dedicated UCAS Advisor | Yes – meet weekly | Yes – meet weekly | Yes – meet weekly |
| Abbey Inspires & Pre-Degree Diploma | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Interview Preparation with Abbey College Cambridge staff | Yes* | Yes** | Yes – 45 minutes per week throughout year 12 & 13 |
| Interview Preparation with Leading Education Consultants | No | Yes – 12x with 4x progress meetings | No |
| Summer reading and extended learning tutorials (fortnightly) | No | Yes | No |
*Limited number and where applicable (Oxbridge, Imperial and select others interview, most do not).
**Limited number.
