1. Home
2. Admissions
3. Undergraduate courses
4. International Students
5. Visiting Students

• Undergraduate courses
  • International Students
    • Visiting Students
• Postgraduate courses
• International students
• Lifelong Learning
• Online and distance courses
• Admissions i

Visiting Students

What do Visiting Students study?

Undergraduate Visiting Students typically take the same courses that are available to Oxford undergraduates. It is not usually possible for Visiting Students to take a subject unrelated to the course at the home university or a subject in which they have no university-level experience.

Graduate Visiting Students spend their time in an area of research with an Oxford tutor; consequently graduate applicants are strongly encouraged to make contact with tutors who share similar interests in advance of making an application. Applications for Graduate Visiting Student status can occasionally be considered after the closing date if contact has been made with a college and permission has been granted to apply (i.e., where a tutor has already agreed to supervise an applicant).

What subjects are available to undergraduate Visiting Students?

Visiting Students may study any course from the undergraduate courses available except Fine Art and Medicine.

Oxford does not work on a credit system, so it is not possible for students to 'build up' a composite programme of study from many different subject areas. Most successful applicants are admitted for specific degree programmes; it is then up to the home university to assess their worth in terms of credit at the home institution. It is occasionally possible, however, for undergraduate Visiting Students to study elements of different courses, if the accepting college has this teaching provision available.

It is also possible for undergraduate Visiting Students to study one element of a joint course - for example, Politics or Economics (which are not offered as single degree subjects to applicants for a full degree).

Can I study for less than the full academic year?

The academic year at Oxford consists of three eight-week terms: early October to early December (Michaelmas Term); mid-January to mid-March (Hilary Term); mid-April to mid-June (Trinity Term).

A small number of colleges and Permanent Private Halls, listed below, are prepared to consider undergraduate Visiting Student applications for one or two terms, but candidates should note that applications for a full academic year are far more likely to be successful: it is easier for colleges to arrange tuition for a full year, and since not many offer this option, those which do are likely to attract larger numbers of applications. If you do wish to apply to study for less than the full academic year, you must gain permission from the college to which you intend to apply.

Which colleges accept Visiting Students?

The following colleges and Permanent Private Halls accept undergraduate Visiting Students from the scheme operated by the Undergraduate Admissions Office:-

• Corpus Christi
• Exeter 
• Keble †
• Queen's
• Regent's Park * †
• St Catherine's
• St Hilda's
• St Hugh's
• St John's
• St Peter's
• Trinity
• Wadham

* Permanent Private Hall
† Will consider applications for less than the full academic year

The colleges and PPHs offer the same subjects to Visiting Students as they offer to undergraduate students (Which colleges offer my course?), with the following exceptions:-

• Corpus Christi only offers: Biochemistry; Chemistry; Classics; English; Physics; Physiological Sciences; PPE and Joint Schools
• Keble only offers English
  
• Queen's does not offer: Biochemistry; Biological Sciences; Economics; English; Experimental Psychology; Geography; Law; Materials; PPE
• St Peter's does not offer Law
• Trinity only offers: Chemistry; English; History; Law; Philosophy; Physics; Theology

The following colleges and Permanent Private Halls accept graduate Visiting Students from the scheme operated by the Undergraduate Admissions Office:-

• Christ Church
• Corpus Christi †
• Exeter †
• Green Templeton ‡
• Jesus
• Keble
• Linacre † ‡
• Lincoln †
• Mansfield †
• Nuffield † ‡
• Queen's
• Regent's Park † (Permanent Private Hall)
• St Antony's † ‡
• St Catherine's
• St Cross ‡
• St Hilda's
• St John's
• St Peter's †
• Wadham
• Worcester

† Will consider applications for less than the full academic year‡ Graduate college

There are no taught graduate courses available to Graduate Visiting Students; the two options available are (1) research under a supervisor or (2) following the curriculum of an undergraduate course.

Applicants for graduate research as a Visiting Student are normally supervised by a Fellow or tutor of the accepting college or PPH. Such applicants are strongly encouraged to contact a Fellow or tutor with similar academic interests in advance of submitting an application.

More information on colleges and subject areas can be found in the Graduate Studies Prospectus. The colleges and PPHs offer the same subjects as listed in their individual entries in the Prospectus, with the following exceptions:-

• Christ Church only offers: Economics; Engineering; Classical Literature and/or Ancient History; Philosophy; PPE; Theology
• St John's does not offer: Economics; Engineering; English; Geography; Human Sciences; Law; Music; Physics; Physiological Sciences; Politics
• St Peter's does not offer Law

Students who are graduates at their home institution but who wish to follow an undergraduate course as a Visiting Student should apply as undergraduates.

How do I go about choosing a college?

Visiting Student applicants may name one or two colleges or Permanent Private Halls of preference, both of which must offer the proposed subject or area of study.

Your choice is primarily a matter of choosing your living environment and your social community. Things you might like to consider are:

• Whether a college is old or new. The oldest colleges are up to 800 years old, the newest were set up in the 1960s, and of course the difference in age will affect the look of your surroundings.
• The location of the college. Some colleges are based in the city centre, and others slightly further out, but none is more than 15 minutes walk or a 5 minute cycle. See the University map of the colleges for details.
• The accommodation provided. Some colleges offer college-owned accommodation to Visiting Students; others do not.

If an application is unsuccessful at the chosen college(s), it may be offered for further consideration elsewhere if (a) it is of high quality and (b) there are still vacancies.

Can I study Medicine as a Visiting Student?

It is not possible to study Medicine as a Visiting Student (but Physiological Sciences can be studied), but the University runs an Elective Programme, whereby Clinical Medicine students may apply for placements in local hospitals alongside Oxford students. Please see Medical Sciences website for further information.

My university has never sent a student to Oxford. Can I still apply?

Our Visiting Student scheme is intended for any overseas university student, regardless of whether his/her home institution has a history of sending students to Oxford. If your university has an established link with an Oxford college, you should apply separately on that scheme instead.

What qualification am I awarded as a Visiting Student?

Oxford does not award a degree or any other qualification for a period of study as a Visiting Student, but colleges are willing to provide a record of achievement, for example for credit purposes at the home university. 

Can I transfer from being a Visiting Student to being a full undergraduate or graduate student?

No. The Visiting Student status can be held for a maximum of three consecutive terms, not overlapping separate academic years. If at the end of this period you then wish to become a full degree student at Oxford, you will have to apply via the standard application route for undergraduate applications or for graduate applications.

How much does it cost to be a Visiting Student?

The University tuition fees for Visiting Students are the same regardless of nationality or residence. The amount payable is dependent on subject and period of study.

Click here for details of the University tuition fees for Visiting Students for 2009–10.

Students who are visiting for less than one year pay the appropriate proportion of the relevant fee rate (e.g., one third of the yearly rate for one term). In the case of a student studying across subject areas, the appropriate fee rate is that which applies for the larger proportion of their studies.

In addition, all students must pay a college fee, which varies from college to college. The college fee is likely to be in excess of £4,000 and is dependent on both the student’s academic programme and the domestic provisions within the college. Living costs are expected to be in the region of £6,750 for the academic year (October–June). It should be noted that the college fee does not cover attendance at elementary language classes organised by the University. Candidates should contact colleges of their choice direct for information about the level of fee applicable for their residence in Oxford and proposed course of study. Applicants from the EU should also note that they can no longer have any of their tuition fees reimbursed from British government funds. However, for EU students who are matriculated, the normal EU university tuition fee is payable plus a college fee.

Are there any scholarships?

Scholarships for Visiting Students are very limited. For information on what is available, please see the International Office homepage.

What are the entry criteria?

Each individual application for the Visiting Students programme is judged on its own merits, taking into account a range of factors, including:-

• academic achievement at the home institution
• any relevant pre-university qualifications
• strength of academic references and personal statement
• suitability for study at Oxford
• correlation between the course at Oxford and the curriculum at the home institution

Applicants should be of similar academic standard to full degree students. As a guide, successful students will typically have GPA of at least 3.5 on a 4.0 scale (for North American students), or a level of achievement at university equivalent to a 2:1 UK degree classification (for students whose university courses are graded differently). There is no minimum qualification, however, since each application will be considered according to all the information available and in comparison with other applications. Extra-curricular activities are not taken into account.

Applications for Graduate Visiting Student status will be judged mainly on how closely the proposed research area matches the interests of the tutor.

What English Language Qualifications do I need?

Please see the English Language requirements for undergraduate students or graduate students.

When is the application deadline?

Visiting Student applications are accepted between 1 January and 1 February each year, to begin studying in the next academic year. The 1 February deadline is for the whole academic year, regardless of the proposed term of study. Please note that only non-British students at universities outside of the United Kingdom may apply. All Visiting Student applications are handled by the Undergraduate Admissions Office (regardless of whether for undergraduate or graduate study).

Applications for Graduate Visiting Student status may be considered after the closing date if contact has been made with a college and permission has been granted to apply (that is, where a tutor has already agreed to supervise an applicant).

How do I apply?

The application material consists of an application form, a personal statement of reasons for wishing to study the proposed course, two academic references (preferably from academics at the home institution), a sample of written work and a transcript or record of education from the home institution. Additionally, students who have not previously been tutored in English at university level are required to provide evidence of proficiency in English (see above). Visiting Students do not apply through UCAS. There are no aptitude tests or interviews for Visiting Student applications.

• Back to top
• Recommend this page