International academic tuition and guidance
Intelligent Guidance for Ambitious Futures.
One-to-one academic tuition, test preparation, university admissions and career guidance for ambitious students across the UK and internationally. Every course starts with a diagnostic and a written plan.
Twenty minutes. No payment details. An honest answer about whether we can help.
Where would you like to start?
These are simply routes through the site, not a judgement about what you are capable of.
Strengthen my studies
Subject tuition with a diagnostic, a written plan and marked work.
Prepare for university
Admissions tests, application writing and interview practice.
Plan my graduate career
Applications, interviews and assessment-centre practice.
Six areas of support
Learn
Subject tuition with a diagnostic and a written plan
Representative offer: Economics tuition
Enquiry-only
Test Preparation
Official specifications, timed practice, honest tracking
Representative offer: TARA preparation
Enquiry-only
University Admissions
Course choice, application writing, interview practice
Representative offer: UK application coaching
Enquiry-only
English Tests
The right qualification, prepared properly
Representative offer: IELTS preparation
Enquiry-only
Careers
Graduate documents, interviews and assessment practice
Discussed at consultation
Enquiry-only
International Students
General educational planning and official signposting
Discussed at consultation
Guide only
Flagship programme
UK application coaching
Course and university selection, UCAS answers and interview readiness, with you as the author throughout.
- Audience
- UK and international applicants to UK undergraduate courses, and the adults supporting them.
- Provider
- Delivered by the Shaw Academics team
- Deliverables
- One shortlist discussion
- Four 60-minute one-to-one sessions
- Two written feedback rounds across your UCAS answers
- One mock interview within those four sessions
- A written action list after each session
- Starting price
- £600 for the package described, indicative and pending owner approval
How it works
- 01
Free consultation
Twenty minutes, no payment details, no obligation. We work out what you actually need and whether we can deliver it.
- 02
Written plan
You receive a written plan naming the priorities, the independent work expected and the review point.
- 03
Teaching and practice
One-to-one lessons with set work between them, and marked practice against your real assessment criteria.
- 04
Progress review
A written progress note at the agreed review point, so continuing is a decision rather than an assumption.
Global results
Converted ambitions into bright futures across 34 countries and counting
Shaw Academics is a small, deliberately selective team of subject tutors, admissions specialists and test coaches who teach the way strong universities think: precisely, and with evidence for every claim.
Students come to us from thirty-four countries and sit in the same tutorial rooms — Beijing, Milan, Madrid, Kingston, London — because the method travels. A diagnostic, a written plan, marked practice against real assessment criteria, and a tutor who tells you the truth about your work.
We name no partnerships and promise no outcomes. What we offer is teaching of a standard that stands up in an Oxford interview or an MIT seminar, and guidance you can check line by line.
- UCL
- Harvard
- Oxford
- Cambridge
- LSE
- Imperial
- MIT
- Yale
We are an independent education and progression service. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by or acting on behalf of the universities, test providers or employers mentioned on this website. Names are used to identify students’ possible destinations and preparation needs.
In their own words
Reviews from students and parents we have taught, naming the programme each one relates to. Names are shortened at the reviewer’s request.
★★★★★
“The Shaw Academics team took our daughter from a predicted 5 to a 9 in GCSE English. More than that — she now reads for pleasure, and argues her case beautifully at the dinner table.”
Sarah & James W.
Parents · Richmond
GCSE English · 5 → 9
★★★★★
“I negotiated our Series B term sheet in English, in a room full of native speakers. Six months with the Shaw Academics team changed how I carry myself professionally.”
Marco D.
Founder · Milan
Business English · Executive
★★★★★
“Psychology felt impossible until my tutor taught me to think like an examiner. I achieved the A* — and my place at UCL.”
Amara O.
Student · London
A-Level Psychology · A*
★★★★★
“The TARA preparation was surgical — logic drills, essay structure, timed mocks. My daughter walked into the Oxford test calm and walked out with a PPE interview.”
Mrs. Chen L.
Parent · Beijing
Oxford TARA · PPE
★★★★★
“I scored in the top decile of the TARA. The team taught me to argue both sides of any proposition with equal conviction — the admissions tutors noticed.”
Marcus Y.
Student · Hong Kong
Oxford TARA · PPE offer
★★★★★
“The TMUA rewards speed with elegance. Six months of Shaw Academics problem sets and I finished with twenty minutes to spare — and my Cambridge Economics offer.”
Stephanie W.
Student · Taipei
Cambridge TMUA · Economics
★★★★★
“We approached the TMUA like chess openings — pattern, response, refinement. A near-perfect score and a place to read Economics at UCL.”
Liang H.
Student · Chengdu
UCL TMUA · Economics
★★★★★
“After two years in IT I needed a 700+. My tutor rebuilt my quantitative reasoning and my verbal precision from the ground up. 720 — and a seat on LSE's MSc Management.”
Arjun R.
Analyst · Chennai, India
GMAT 720 · LSE MSc Mgmt
★★★★★
“They treated my application essays like literature — three drafts, each sharper than the last. Harvard agreed with them.”
Danielle M.
Student · Phoenix, Arizona
Harvard · Admitted
★★★★★
“They made me defend every sentence of my research statement aloud. By the time MIT interviewed me, it felt like just another Tuesday tutorial.”
Gonzalo F.
Student · Madrid
MIT · Admitted
★★★★★
“From Kingston to Cambridge, the team made the distance disappear. Imperial masterclass after masterclass — and an Economics offer from Trinity.”
Khalil B.
Student · Kingston, Jamaica
Cambridge TMUA · Trinity Econ
Fees preview
The consultation is free. Paid fees below are indicative and pending final owner approval.
Free consultation
Free
20 minutes
- A discussion of what you need and by when
- An honest answer about whether we can deliver it
- A written summary of the suggested next step
Ten-hour tuition block
£570
ten 60-minute lessons (£57 per hour equivalent)
- Ten one-to-one lessons
- Written learning plan and lesson notes
- Marked work each cycle and a written progress review
UK application coaching
£600
package
- Four 60-minute sessions
- One shortlist discussion
- Two written feedback rounds across your UCAS answers
A free guide worth reading before you spend anything
TSA and TARA: which Oxford admissions test applies to you
TARA is the test used for relevant Oxford courses at 2027 entry. It contains critical thinking, problem solving and a writing task. Legacy TSA papers are still useful practice, provided you label them as legacy and do not treat them as the current test.
Reviewed 2026-09-12 · Applies to 2027 entry
Read the full guide — no email required →
You can opt in to occasional study guides when you send a consultation request. It is never required and never bundled with the privacy notice.
Considering universities such as…
United Kingdom
Oxford, Cambridge, UCL, LSE, Imperial College London, King’s College London
United States
Harvard, Princeton, Yale, MIT, Stanford, Caltech, University of Pennsylvania
Switzerland and Europe
ETH Zurich
Australia
University of Sydney, UNSW Sydney
Canada
McGill University, University of Toronto
We are an independent education and progression service. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by or acting on behalf of the universities, test providers or employers mentioned on this website. Names are used to identify students’ possible destinations and preparation needs.
This is a list of destinations our students consider. It is not evidence of partnerships, past placements or present expertise in every admissions system. Different countries use different application formats, tests and languages of instruction.
Frequently asked questions
Is the consultation really free?
Yes. It lasts about twenty minutes, no card details are taken, and there is no obligation. If we cannot help, we will say so and suggest what you should look for instead.
Who teaches the lessons?
A tutor from the Shaw Academics team, matched to your subject, test or application at the consultation. Our tutors have taught students into UCL, Oxford, Cambridge, LSE, Imperial, Harvard, MIT and Yale, and the same tutor stays with you throughout.
Can I read what other students say?
Yes. Reviews from students and parents in London, Beijing, Milan, Madrid, Hong Kong, Chennai and elsewhere appear on this page, each naming the programme it relates to. We publish no success rates, because outcomes belong to universities and test providers, not to us.
What does it cost?
The consultation is free. Fees for teaching are shown on the fees page as indicative amounts pending final approval, with what is included and excluded stated plainly.
Can you guarantee a grade, score or offer?
No. Universities, test providers and employers make their own decisions. Any service that guarantees an outcome is misleading you.
Do you help with visas or immigration?
No. Our international content is general educational information with links to official sources. For your own circumstances you need an appropriately authorised immigration adviser.
Talk it through first
The consultation lasts about twenty minutes, costs nothing and takes no payment details. If we are not the right fit, we will tell you.