Expert Insights

How Many Hours of Super-Curricular Work Do Top Applicants Do?

Published 6th November 2026 by Alastair

Short answer: No university sets a number of hours.

Cambridge says super-curricular activities are not compulsory and doesn’t give a required amount. Christ’s College, Cambridge suggests one or two hours a week during Year 12 should be enough, which is roughly 35 to 70 hours over the school year. Tutors care more about what your child learnt than how long it took.

If your child is aiming for Oxford, Cambridge or another selective university, you’ve probably heard that they need to “do super-curriculars”. It’s easy to picture successful applicants spending every evening on extra reading, but the universities ask for far less than that.

Here’s what admissions tutors say, and how a sensible amount fits around A level study.

Before we begin...

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What counts as super-curricular work?

Super-curricular work is anything your child does in their own time that takes a subject they want to study further than the school syllabus goes. Cambridge’s examples include reading books and journals, visiting museums and galleries, watching documentaries, listening to podcasts, going to online lectures and entering academic competitions.

Extra-curricular activities, such as sport, music or volunteering, are a separate category. They’re worth doing for their own sake, but Cambridge has said that extra-curricular activities with no link to the course won’t improve a student’s chances of an offer.

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Do Oxford and Cambridge say how many hours?

No. Cambridge strongly recommends super-curricular activities but says they are not mandatory, and its guidance gives no figure for time or frequency. King’s College, Cambridge says there is no single activity or book that every applicant has to do, and Cambridge labels its own list of suggestions as not required reading.

The nearest thing to a number comes from Christ’s College, Cambridge. It says there is no set expectation for time, but that one or two hours a week of exploring a subject in Year 12 should be enough. Longer activities, such as an online course or a taster day, will take more.

No university publishes figures on how many hours successful applicants put in. King’s says most successful applicants to Cambridge and other competitive universities will have spent some of their time on super-curricular work, which is a long way from all of it.

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How does that compare with other sixth-form study?

Next to A level work, one or two hours a week is a small commitment. Offers still depend on grades, so super-curricular reading has to fit in around A level study.

Commitment	Typical time	Notes
One A level	About 5 hours of teaching a week	Around 360 guided learning hours over two years, with private study on top
Three A levels	About 15 hours of teaching a week	Plus homework and revision
Extended Project Qualification (EPQ)	120 guided learning hours in total	About 30 hours are taught skills; the rest is independent research
UNIQ summer school (Oxford)	One week	Free subject-specific residential for UK state school students in Year 12
Super-curricular work	1 to 2 hours a week in Year 12	Roughly 35 to 70 hours across the school year, based on Christ's College guidance

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What matters more than the hours?

Christ’s College’s guidance is “quality (and thinking!) over quantity”. Tutors want to see what your child made of what they read or watched.

A good sign is one thing leading to another: a book points your child to an article, and the article leads to a lecture. Tutors also want to know what your child thinks. What surprised them, and what did they disagree with? Lincoln College, Oxford notes that the personal statement may be the starting point for an interview, so anything your child mentions could come up.

A student who has read two books closely and can argue about them is usually in a better position than one who lists ten they skimmed. If you’d like help planning super-curricular work around your child’s chosen course, our Oxbridge Admissions Support can help them pick activities and write about them in their application.

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What does a realistic week look like?

or a Year 12 student, one or two hours a week might look like this:

30 minutes reading a chapter of a book from Oxford’s suggested subject resources or Cambridge’s suggestions list
20 to 30 minutes on a podcast or recorded lecture, perhaps on the way to school
15 minutes writing a few notes on what they read, what they thought and what to look at next
Something longer once a month or so, such as a museum visit, an online lecture or a competition entry

Keeping notes saves a lot of trouble later. When your child sits down to write a personal statement or prepare for interview, they won’t have to remember what they read eight months earlier. Queens’ College, Cambridge publishes a free super-curricular log for this.

School holidays, especially the summer after Year 12, suit longer work such as an online course, an essay competition or EPQ research. Oxford and Cambridge applications are due in mid-October of Year 13, so most of what ends up in the application gets read before then.

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Does super-curricular work cost money?

It shouldn’t!

King’s College, Cambridge advises against buying books or paying for online resources, and suggests school, local and university libraries instead. It also says a paid certificate from an online course gives no advantage. Cambridge’s HE+ website and Oxford’s subject resources are free, and so is UNIQ for students who qualify.

Universities also read super-curricular work in context. Girton College, Cambridge notes that its admissions process takes into account the opportunities each applicant has had.

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Conclusion

Universities don’t set a number of hours, and the one piece of Cambridge guidance that gives a figure suggests one or two a week in Year 12. Strong applicants tend to choose activities that interest them and spend time thinking about what they’ve learnt, which makes it much easier to write and talk about later. A small, steady habit started in Year 12 will usually do more than a rush of reading in the summer before applying.

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FAQs

No university sets a requirement. Christ’s College, Cambridge suggests one or two hours a week during Year 12 should be enough, with the occasional longer activity, such as an online course, taking extra time.

No. Cambridge describes them as not mandatory but strongly recommends them, because they help students make a competitive application and prepare for university study. Reading lists from Cambridge and its colleges are suggestions, not required reading.

Most university guidance focuses on Year 12. A student who is curious about their subject in Year 11 can start earlier, but there’s no need to. Steady work through Year 12 and the following summer is enough for most applicants.

A few, done properly. Cambridge colleges stress quality over quantity, and a personal statement doesn’t have much space. One thoughtful response to a book tells tutors more than a list of titles.

Not on their own. King’s College, Cambridge says paying for an online course certificate gives no advantage, and it advises against paying for resources. Free options include Cambridge’s HE+, Oxford’s suggested subject resources and, for eligible UK state school students, UNIQ.

It can, if the topic links to the course your child is applying for. An EPQ takes around 120 guided learning hours, so it’s a much bigger commitment than weekly reading. It’s best taken on when your child wants to research the topic for its own sake.

Oxford college guidance has suggested that around 80% of a personal statement should focus on academic interests, including super-curricular work. Since the UCAS statement moved to three questions, Girton College, Cambridge has noted that there’s less room for this, so a few well-chosen examples will go further.

They may. Lincoln College, Oxford says the personal statement can be the starting point for an interview. Your child should only mention reading or activities they’re happy to discuss in depth.

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