About the University

The University’s international reputation for world-leading research and its range of resources including libraries, laboratories and other specialist facilities attract a great deal of interest from students all over the world. Oxford’s departments and colleges seek to admit graduate students of the very highest academic calibre and future potential, irrespective of nationality or other background.

Oxford University has a very strong international reputation. Over 60 per cent of our full-time graduate students are from outside the UK and they come from over 120 different countries. Our international students and staff bring different perspectives to their subjects and make a big contribution to the stimulating academic environment of the University. Time spent in Oxford as a graduate student could be the first step in creating and maintaining worldwide links that may prove vital in building a successful career in any sector.

The University has long experience of welcoming international students who quickly feel settled in both their academic and social life and are able to make outstanding contributions to their department and college.

As a graduate student at Oxford you will belong to one of the four academic divisions or the Department for Continuing Education:

• Humanities
• Mathematical, Physical and Life Sciences (MPLS)
• Medical Sciences
• Social Sciences

For more information about academic study, please see the Course Guide.

You will also be a member of one of Oxford’s colleges or permanent private halls. They are independent, self-governing communities of academics, students and staff and an integral part of the collegiate university. The University has 38 colleges, some dedicated to graduates only and others accepting undergraduates and graduates, and 6 permanent private halls that were founded by various Christian denominations and still retain their religious character.

The collegiate system is at the heart of the University’s success, giving students and academics the benefits of belonging both to a large, internationally-renowned institution and a small, multi-disciplinary academic community.

For more information about colleges, please see the College Guide.