Between your offer and the cohort.
Applications close 15 July. The cohort starts 7 September. The seven weeks between aren't dead air — they're a paced sequence of touchpoints designed to land you ready, prepared and connected on day one.
Once your application is accepted, you'll hear at four points before the cohort begins. Each is light to receive but substantive in what it does.
July — your offer and onboarding
Within ten working days of applying — your application is reviewed and you receive one of three outcomes: an offer, a request for more information, or a referral to a different pathway. Founder Cohort offers go out on a rolling basis through July; we don't wait until applications close.
Your offer letter confirms your place, your fee, and the date your Faculty mentor will introduce themselves. It also includes the enrolment pack: pathway-specific paperwork, the Founder Cohort agreement, and an invoice if applicable. We need the pack signed within ten working days of the offer.
August — preparation
Early August — your pre-reading pack lands. About 20 hours of reading paced over the month: selected sections of the Body of Knowledge that ground the cohort's first weeks, two or three case studies, and a short reflection prompt for each. None of it is graded; it's the warm-up.
Late August — a welcome note from your Faculty mentor. Light personal introduction, what they're hoping to learn from you, and a 30-minute introductory call before the cohort starts.
September — the cohort begins
Monday 7 September — week one. The cohort meets together for the first time. Live opening session covering programme structure, expectations, and the first capstone milestone. You meet your eleven cohort peers and the Faculty Council.
From there, the programme runs for twelve weeks plus capstone, completing in early December 2026 with the credentialling of the inaugural AEXP cohort.
A note on summer
The seven weeks between applications closing and the cohort starting cover most of the UK summer holiday period. The touchpoints are structured around that. The substantial reading lands in early August so you can pace it across the month, and the Faculty introduction is late enough that you're not asked to think about it until you're back from any trip.
If you have specific dates you'll be unreachable, mention them in your application and we'll structure the introduction call around them.
Questions on any of the above: admissions@ex.institute.