Bucks &amp; Oxon


<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/01/Untitled-design-87.jpg" alt="Oxford Media and Business School Students" class="wp-image-200829" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/01/Untitled-design-87.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/01/Untitled-design-87-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/01/Untitled-design-87-1000x667.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/01/Untitled-design-87-400x267.jpg 400w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



<p>Let’s be honest: the age-old question of&nbsp;<em>“what next?”</em>&nbsp;after sixth form has rarely felt quite so… foggy. For years, the route was reassuringly linear. A-levels, university, job. Tick, tick, tick. But these days? That neat little conveyor belt has developed a few alarming creaks.</p>



<p>University debt is enough to make even the calmest parent reach for a stiff drink – graduates in England are now starting working life with an average&nbsp;£53,000&nbsp;hanging over them. Actual contact hours can be surprisingly thin on the ground (as little as eight hours a week in some cases), and the once-solid promise that a degree equals a job now feels optimistic at best.</p>



<p>Of course, for students with a crystal-clear vocation – medicine, law, teaching – the path remains well lit. But for the many who&nbsp;<em>don’t</em>&nbsp;yet have a five-year plan mapped out, being asked to make a life-defining decision at 18 can feel wildly premature. Which is why more parents are asking:&nbsp;Is there another way? One that builds confidence, independence and real-world business workplace skills – without committing to three years and a small fortune in tuition fees?</p>



<p>Enter&nbsp;<a href="https://oxfordbusiness.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Oxford Media &amp; Business School</a>. Based in central Oxford, OMBS offers a&nbsp;one-year, intensive Professional Business Diploma&nbsp;for students aged 18+, blending practical, job-ready learning with a genuinely grown-up student experience. Think rented accommodation with peers, proper independence, and teaching focused on the skills employers actually want – not just what looks good in a prospectus.</p>



<p>It’s designed as an alternative route – or a&nbsp;<em>pause with purpose</em>&nbsp;– giving students momentum, transferable skills and much-needed clarity about what comes next, whether that’s work, university or a completely different direction altogether.</p>



<p>Here we pick Principal&nbsp;Andrea Freeman&#8217;s brain, drawing on her 23 years of experience leading the business school, alongside her work as a Myers Briggs consultant, examination board examiner&nbsp;and&nbsp;co-ed senior school governor, to find out more.</p>



<p>Spoiler: it’s not your average gap year.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/12/Untitled-design-53.jpg" alt="Principal Andrea Freeman of Oxford Media Business School" class="wp-image-200454" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/12/Untitled-design-53.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/12/Untitled-design-53-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/12/Untitled-design-53-1000x667.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/12/Untitled-design-53-400x267.jpg 400w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption"><em>Principal&nbsp;Andrea Freeman</em></figcaption></figure>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-do-parents-and-students-choose-your-course">Why do parents and students choose your course? </h3>



<p>We’re small, structured and genuinely supportive. I personally interview everyone who applies because this isn&#8217;t a course you can drift through or half-heartedly dip into. There are around&nbsp;20 hours a week of face-to-face teaching, spread across every day (with an early finish at 1pm on Fridays, so students can visit friends or family). Class sizes are deliberately kept small – about 16 students &#8211; so nobody disappears into the background. Parents like that their child is known as a person, not a number. And students like that it’s practical, social, and feels like a fresh start after sixth form.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-do-you-see-it-as-an-alternative-to-university-or-do-your-students-then-go-on-to-uni">Do you see it as an alternative to university? Or do your students then go on to uni? </h3>



<p>It can be either &#8211; and that’s the point. Our course doesn’t close any doors, it opens them. Some students come because they don’t yet know what they want and need a break from the traditional school environment, but still want to learn relevant skills. Others decide that university simply isn’t the right choice for them. And some go on to university afterwards &#8211; but with far more clarity about what they want to study. </p>



<p>What has changed is that fewer now go straight on &#8211; from our current cohort, I&#8217;d say only&nbsp;four or five are&nbsp;heading to university next year. At the same time, we have 16 students who’ve left university early&nbsp;and come to us instead. The reasons vary, but there&#8217;s a common theme: lack of structure, feeling anonymous, theory-heavy courses, loneliness and little sense of community. Here, students have a proper timetable, small classes and a built-in peer group &#8211; it’s a place where it&#8217;s very hard to disappear.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-many-students-do-you-take-each-year-and-what-grades-do-you-need">How many students do you take each year, and what grades do you need? </h3>



<p>We take&nbsp;around 80 students a year. Students need to be&nbsp;18&nbsp;and typically have A-levels or equivalent (BTEC/Scottish equivalents). We don’t set rigid grade requirements. What matters far more is attitude – students who are willing to work hard, engage fully and get the best results they can, whatever that looks like for them.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-do-students-have-to-take-up-student-accommodation-to-take-the-course">Do students have to take up student accommodation to take the course? </h3>



<p>No, not at all. That said, around 95% do. We have&nbsp;15 student houses across Oxford, including Jericho (the trendy central district in Oxford), Grandpoint and Cowley (near Oxford Brookes). It’s not a campus, and it’s definitely not a boarding school &#8211; it’s shared houses and proper student life. We don’t live with them, there’s no house parent, and yes, they have to put their own bins out!</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="667" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/12/Untitled-design-55-1000x667.jpg" alt="Accomodation at Oxford Media &amp; Business School " class="wp-image-200466" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/12/Untitled-design-55-1000x667.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/12/Untitled-design-55-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/12/Untitled-design-55-400x267.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/12/Untitled-design-55.jpg 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-about-student-life-do-they-get-a-wider-university-experience-too">What about student life? Do they get a wider university experience, too? </h3>



<p>Yes, very much so. We’re&nbsp;affiliated with the Oxford Union, so students can join and attend debates, talks and events just like university students &#8211; everything from politics to big-name speakers. We’re also affiliated with&nbsp;Oxford Brookes’ social committee, which means students can tap into Brookes’ social life if they want to. Sport-wise, students can train and play through&nbsp;Oxford Brookes&nbsp;or join&nbsp;Oxford Hawks &#8211; a brilliant city-wide sports club offering everything from hockey and netball to rugby. In short, they get all the buzz and opportunity of student life, without being swallowed up by a massive institution.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/12/Untitled-design-52.jpg" alt="Students at Oxford Media and Business School" class="wp-image-200439" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/12/Untitled-design-52.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/12/Untitled-design-52-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/12/Untitled-design-52-1000x667.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/12/Untitled-design-52-400x267.jpg 400w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-it-sounds-great-in-theory-but-how-does-your-course-prepare-students-for-the-real-world">It sounds great in theory, but how does your course prepare students for the real world? </h3>



<p>It’s relentlessly practical, with continuous assessment throughout. A big focus is on&nbsp;<em>how work actually works</em> &#8211; from professional communication (yes, including capital letters, subject lines and how&nbsp;<em>not</em>&nbsp;to start an email) to presenting, pitching, planning and project management. Students also get stuck into hands-on and relevant modules like&nbsp;digital marketing, alongside&nbsp;digital literacy, where they build a proper working knowledge of tools such as&nbsp;Microsoft 365&nbsp;and&nbsp;Google Workspace. The aim is simple: to help students write, speak and operate with the confidence, clarity and polish expected in a professional business workplace — skills that don’t always get much airtime elsewhere.</p>



<p>It’s also highly structured. Each group has a&nbsp;group tutor&nbsp;for both pastoral and academic support, with regular one-to-ones so students always know where they stand, what they&#8217;re aiming for and how to get there.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-much-does-it-cost-and-can-you-apply-for-a-grant-to-come-here">How much does it cost? And can you apply for a grant to come here? </h3>



<p>Sadly, there’s no grant funding because we’re not a university. Tuition is&nbsp;£5,139 per term&nbsp;if students live at home or arrange their own accommodation. If they stay in our student houses, fees start at&nbsp;£8,400 per term&nbsp;(Jericho costs more than other areas), which works out at roughly&nbsp;£24,000 for the year, including accommodation. It’s a significant investment, but for many families it’s weighed up against the cost – and uncertainty – of a traditional three-year degree.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-are-the-odds-of-getting-a-job-at-the-end-of-the-course">What are the odds of getting a job at the end of the course? </h3>



<p>For students who want an office-based job, they&#8217;re extremely high. I can’t officially say “100%”, but anyone who genuinely wants a job will be able to get one. The course puts a big emphasis on employability, providing students with&nbsp;workplace-relevant, practical business skills that we know employers want – from business communication, to advanced &amp; digital literacy skills. We also teach digital marketing and event management skills, as well as AI literacy – so students know and understand the ethics and implications of using AI tools in the workspace. As a result, London recruiters are often eager to place our graduates because they know they can perform effectively in the role from day one.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-do-your-students-say-about-their-time-at-the-business-school">What do your students say about their time at the business school?</h3>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/12/Untitled-design-54.jpg" alt="Principal Andrea Freeman with a student on Graduation Day" class="wp-image-200464" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/12/Untitled-design-54.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/12/Untitled-design-54-800x800.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/12/Untitled-design-54-400x400.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/12/Untitled-design-54-500x500.jpg 500w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption"><em>Principal&nbsp;Andrea Freeman with a student on Graduation Day</em></figcaption></figure>



<p>Students often arrive doubting themselves, convinced they&#8217;re &#8220;not academic enough&#8221; or that everyone else is somehow cleverer than they are. Watching that shift over the year is incredibly moving. Graduation is always emotional. Students walk across the stage having achieved a higher diploma, yes &#8211; but more importantly, they leave with a confidence they didn’t arrive with. The messages and cards I receive afterwards nearly all say a version of the same thing:&nbsp;<em>I didn’t think I could do this, and now I feel like I can do anything.</em></p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tell-us-something-that-will-impress-us">Tell us something that will impress us </h3>



<p>Honestly? It’s seeing what former students go on to do. We hear from them all the time – usually just a quick message to say they’ve started a new job or been promoted. One is now&nbsp;Head of PR at&nbsp;The Pig Hotels&nbsp;and recently popped back to chat to our current students, which was really nice. Others have set up their own jewellery brands, and some are now in senior roles at London-based businesses. It&#8217;s lovely to see them carving out careers that suit them and genuinely make them happy. </p>



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<p><em><a href="https://www.oxfordbusiness.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Oxford Media &amp; Business School, Southern House</a>, 1 Cambridge Terrace, Oxford OX1 1RR.&nbsp;<a href="mailto:info@oxfordbusiness.co.uk">info@oxfordbusiness.co.uk</a>. Tel: 01865 240963.</em></p>


Oxford Media & Business School: a university alternative

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