SUPER-CURRICULAR LEARNING · AGES 10–18
Go beyond the syllabus. Build the profile top universities look for.
A lot of the world’s best thinking happens out of sight: in labs and archives, courtrooms and code, and at the desks of writers and thinkers most of us never hear about. We bring students into that world. Try a degree at one of our online summer schools in 23 subjects, take on a research project with an expert, or enter an essay competition like the British Psychology Olympiad, and come away with plenty to say on your school and university applications.
WHY MINDS UNDERGROUND?
School teaches you the subject. We show you what people actually do with it.
Physics turns into modelling radioactive decay in Python. Biology turns into working out how an epidemic spreads. English turns into reading the African American Arts Movement with a specialist in postcolonial literature. Our tutors are the people doing this work, the scientists, lawyers, engineers, writers and thinkers behind the scenes, and that’s where the name comes from. Along the way, students find out which degrees and careers actually excite them.
FLAGSHIP · 23 DEGREE SUBJECTS
Online Summer Schools: try the degree before you apply
Eight weeks of live, first-year-university-level teaching in the subject you want to study, with Oxbridge-style interview questions built into every session. Designed for Year 12 students preparing UCAS applications.
8 weeks
Weekly live seminars plus guided reading between sessions
Small groups
Room to debate, ask questions and be heard
Oxbridge-led
Tutors from Oxford, Cambridge and Royal Veterinary College
Recorded
Miss a session? Get the recording and materials
Physical Sciences & Engineering
Humanities & Languages
Under 14? We run Young Minds summer schools for ages 10–14 in STEM, Law, Humanities & Social Sciences, and Speech & Debate.
RESEARCH PROJECTS
Do real research with an Oxbridge or industry expert
One-to-one online research placements matched to the degree you’re applying for. You finish with a finished piece of work, an expert mentor, and a story to tell in your personal statement and at interview.
PHYSICS · CODING
Model radioactive decay in Python with a theoretical physicist
MEDICINE · EPIDEMIOLOGY
Model an epidemic in a closed population with a PhD biostatistician from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
ANY SUBJECT
Tell us your degree you aspire to - we’ll design a project around it
Essay competitions & the British Psychology Olympiad
Competitive, internationally renowned and instantly recognisable on an application. Schools can enter whole cohorts or students can enter independently.
COMPETITIONS
British Psychology Olympiad
Three rounds: a multiple-choice round, an open-question National Round, then the Global Psychology Essay Competition.
Registration: £15 · Final essay deadline: 3 April
Minds Underground Essay Competitions
University-style questions that reward original thinking - from “Are humans the most intelligent species?” to designing your own psychology study. Winners are published on our results page.
2026–27 questions released: November 26th
MASTERCLASSES
One topic. One mind from underground.
Learn Python with a Google specialist, explore supermassive black holes with an astrophysicist, or step into virtual aerodynamic modelling with a Jaguar engineer.
FOR SCHOOLS
Bring exceptional super-curricular opportunities to your students
We partner with schools to inspire learning beyond the curriculum, offering discounted access to our online summer schools, expert-led masterclasses, independent research projects, academic competitions and tailored university admissions support.
Trusted by Cheltenham Ladies’ College, Putney High and Wellington College amongst others.
Schools & Organisations We've Worked With
How Minds Underground strengthens a university application
01
Discover your direction
Explore university-level subjects through summer schools and masterclasses. Discover what genuinely excites you, make more informed degree choices and develop your academic interests beyond the classroom.
02
Build a distinctive application
Develop compelling material for your personal statement through independent research projects, essay competitions and academic challenges that demonstrate intellectual curiosity and initiative.
03
Stand out at interview
Gain fascinating ideas, fresh perspectives and academic experiences to discuss confidently at university interviews, showing genuine enthusiasm and a deeper understanding of your chosen subject.
HOP ON THE MINDS OVERGROUND
Stay on track with U2 Tuition, our parent company
Minds Underground takes students beyond the curriculum. U2 Tuition, with over 1,000 Oxbridge-educated tutors, makes sure they master it, from age 2 to 18: school entrance, GCSE, A Level, IB and university applications, with a particular focus on Oxbridge. Plenty of our students do both.