Founded by AIS and Oxford University alumnus Thong Nguyen, the Oxford Academy sets students on a path for acceptance into leading global universities. Now it has partnered with AIS to offer two students the chance to sharpen their maths skills for exams, competitions and university applications.

AIS: the launchpad to Oxford

Nguyen’s dreams of studying maths at Oxford first took hold in Year 6.

“My dad bought me an Oxford dictionary to learn English and I looked up Oxford University on the Internet. I fell in love with its architecture and later on I found out that it was one of the finest universities in the world. I kept thinking about it and from then on I studied hard, did a lot of maths, and joined quite a few maths competitions.”

AIS was an ideal launchpad providing “a well-rounded education, a strong focus on STEM subjects, and teachers who were kind, approachable and supportive”.

Masterful mathematician, inspirational teacher

Nguyen graduated from Oxford University in 2015 with a bachelor’s and master’s degree in mathematics, before going onto work in the finance and technology sectors in Singapore, Indonesia and Vietnam. Teaching maths since the age of 12, Nguyen’s aptitude for the subject is remarkable. Through the Oxford Academy he gets to combine his mathematical brilliance with his love of teaching and his passion for entrepreneurship in what can only be described as a winning combination.

“I started teaching maths when I was 12. That opportunity helped me develop the ability to explain difficult stuff in simple terms and also made me remember the concepts longer,” says Nguyen.  “I’ve been teaching IGCSE, A-Level and International Baccalaureate (IB) part-time since I was at university. Even when I joined the corporate world I still kept teaching, providing maths lessons at night and weekends.”

Pioneering programs

The Oxford Academy officially opened its doors in 2023.

“It was the right time for me to bring what I’d learnt before, at and after Oxford to the world. I have accumulated work experience in analytics, business intelligence, risk management and overall business operations and seen how mathematics is applied in the industry. That makes my maths lessons invaluable not just for exams – think IGCSE, A-Level, IB, SAT and AP – but also for the applications of the theorems and formulae in the professional world.”

Uniquely designed for maths buffs, Oxford Academy delivers training courses to middle and high school students and prepares them for entrance exams to Oxford and Cambridge Universities. Courses also lay strong foundations for AP statistics and calculus preparation and maths competitions such as AMC 8, AMC 10 and 12.

“Our program is the first in the market to prepare students for the MAT and STEP – the admission tests at Oxford and Cambridge respectively. Not only that, but this training is provided by a teacher who made it to Oxford with an exceptionally good performance in the MAT.”

Are there any pre-requisites? “Students must have a strong desire to get into a top university. With strong desire they can conquer anything.”

Oxford Academy scholarships up for grabs

Now AIS is partnering with Nguyen, offering exciting scholarships to study at the Oxford Academy to two lucky AIS students. Interested students can find out more by visiting the Oxford Academy website and filling out the contact form: https://www.oxfordacademy.tech/contact-us