Academy Royale International's Architecture summer school gives students aged 16 to 18 two weeks of university-style architecture training in Oxford or Cambridge.
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Academy Royale International's Architecture summer school gives students aged 16 to 18 two weeks of university-style architecture training in Oxford or Cambridge. You learn technical drawing, model making and design theory, and build a portfolio as you design a waste-free city for 2050. Since 2004, we've welcomed students from more than 175 countries to live and study in historic university colleges.
Our Architecture summer school combines advanced academic learning with hands-on design training for students aged 16 to 18. For two weeks, you live and study in a historic college of the University of Oxford or Cambridge and learn how architects combine creativity with technical knowledge.
A design project runs through the whole course. You respond to a brief for a building with a specific function and develop your ideas from sketch to model.
You start by challenging what architecture means, looking at form, function and site. You learn the main types of technical drawing, then test your skills with site surveys and observational drawings of your host city's buildings.
You study architectural history from Classical Greece to Modernism, and use collage to bring ideas to life. You build physical models and compile a portfolio of your work. In the City of the Future Design Challenge, you design a waste-free city for the people of 2050.
Academics and practising architects teach you in small groups, so you get personal feedback and support. Faculty include Lana Al Shami, an architect and internationally exhibited artist, and Christelle Tippett, an architect, associate lecturer and sustainability specialist.

This course is part of the programme
Compare available dates, duration, campus, fees and availability. Open a session for accommodation details.
| Session | Dates | Duration | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Oxford & Cambridge academic session 1 — 4–17 July 2027 One of: | 4 Jul 2027 - 17 Jul 2027Enrolling Now | 2 weeks | £7,995 - £9,995 | |
Oxford & Cambridge academic session 2 — 18–31 July 2027 One of: | 18 Jul 2027 - 31 Jul 2027Enrolling Now | 2 weeks | £7,995 - £9,995 | |
Oxford academic session 3 — 1–14 August 2027 | 1 Aug 2027 - 14 Aug 2027Enrolling Now | 2 weeks | £7,995 |
Our students will be staying in actual university accommodation. Most of our accommodation sites offer a mix of single and twin bedrooms. Some campuses have en-suite bedrooms while others have bathroom facilities shared between a small group of same-sex students. In some campuses, students have the option to pay our ‘En-suite Reservation Fee’, which entitles students to an en-suite room should one be available at their campus.
Contact our Admissions Team for more information. Sharing your room with fellow students is a great way of getting to know people and making friends. You can also request to share a room with someone you know studying the same course as you, though this is not guaranteed and must be done in advance of the course.
Fees include tuition, study materials, accommodation, meals, the published activity and excursion programme, welcome and graduation events, a graduation certificate and report, and Academy Royale International merchandise.
Meal arrangements vary by age and campus. Marlborough College residential fees include breakfast, lunch and dinner. Oxford and Cambridge academic programmes include breakfast and dinner, plus lunch for students aged 12 to 15 in Oxford. Optional extras, including airport transfers and certain excursions or Academies, cost extra.
Yes. All students who successfully complete their programme receive an Academy Royale International graduation certificate, presented at a ceremony on the final evening.
Graduation ceremonies are primarily for students. In some cases, parents may attend by prior arrangement, subject to available seating. Please contact the campus office well in advance to check availability.