Examinations and Boards
Changes to Examination Regulations
For the complete text of each regulation listed below and a listing of all changes to regulations for this year to date, please see www.ox.ac.uk/gazette/examinationregulations.
Planning and Resource Allocation and Education Committees
(1) Oxford Bursaries and Tuition Fee Reductions
Explanatory Note
The following changes amend and update the existing regulations governing Oxford bursaries and tuition fee reductions, by providing for the following:
- addition of the new degree of MMathPhys (4-year course only) to the list of eligible courses
- ensuring consistent use of the term 'tuition fee reduction' throughout the appendix
- reflecting the name change from 'Student Finance Services European Team' to 'Student Finance Services Non UK Team'
- providing additional clarity on the appeals process
- including details of how continuing-year EU students can be financially assessed for the first time
- clarifying eligibility to fee reductions of graduate entry medicine students who do not receive fee support from the National Health Service/Student Loans Company
- providing further clarification of which PGCE students are eligible to be assessed for an Oxford Bursary.
New text has been underlined; deleted text has been struck through.
Text of Regulations
With immediate effect
In Examination Regulations 2013, delete from p1152, l1 to p1156, l13 and substitute:
'§6. Regulations for Oxford Bursaries and Tuition Fee Reductions
1. The arrangements described in this section apply to members of the University, entitled, in accordance with the Special Appendix to §5, to be charged fees at the appropriate 'home' (and EU) rate, who are working in Oxford:
(i) for the Degree of BA or the Degree of MBiochem or the Degree of MChem or the Degree of MMathCompSci or the Degree of MEarthSc or the Degree of MEng or the Degree of MMath or the Degree of MCompSci or the Degree of MCompPhil or the Degree of MPhys or the Degree of MPhysPhil or the Degree of MMathPhil, or the degree of MMathPhys (4-year course only), or the degree of BTh (full-time mode only);
(ii) for the degree of BFA;
(iii) for the First Examination for the Degree of BM;
(iv) for the Preliminary Examination in Medicine;
(v) for the Second Examination for the degree of BM;
(vi) for the full-time Certificate or Diploma in Theological and Pastoral Studies;
(vii) for the Postgraduate Certificate in Education.
2. All students described in cl1 above, who are entitled to receive support from a funding agency as described in cl6 below, will be eligible to be assessed for an Oxford bursary, subject to cl4. Bursary levels will be at the rates determined from time to time by Council's Education Committee and Planning and Resource Allocation Committee. Bursary amounts are set out on the University website. Members of the University described in cl1 (i), (ii) and (iii) who are in their first year of study will be eligible to be assessed for an additional start-up bursary. Special regulations for members of the University described in cl1 (iv), (v), (vi) and (vii) are set out in cll1211 to 1514.
3. All students described in cl1, who are entitled to receive support from a funding agency as described in cl6 below, who commenced their programme of study on or after 1 September 2012, and who would otherwise be liable for the full University composition fee as described in §5, hereafter referred to as 'tuition fee', will be eligible to be assessed for a reduction in their tuition fee, subject to cl4. The level of the tuition fee reduction will be at the rates determined from time to time by Council's Education Committee and Planning and Resource Allocation Committee. The levels of tuition fee reductions are set out on the University website. Special regulations for members of the University described in cl1 (iv), (v), (vi) and (vii) are set out in cll1211 to 1514. Students will not be entitled to a cash equivalent of a tuition fee reduction.
4. If a student who is eligible to be charged the University composition tuition fee at the 'home' (and EU) rate is not entitled to means-tested maintenance support from his or her funding agency, he or she will not be eligible to be assessed for a bursary or tuition fee reduction in that academic year. Students who are entitled to be assessed by the Student Finance Services European Non UK Team, and who are entitled, in accordance with the Special Appendix to §5, to be charged fees at the appropriate 'home' (and EU) rate, are eligible to be assessed for a bursary or tuition fee reduction, subject to the conditions referred to in paragraph 10.
5. Students who are repeating a year of their studies at Oxford will be eligible to be assessed for a bursary and/or tuition fee reduction subject to cl4. Students repeating their first year or transferring to year one of a new course described in cl1 will not be eligible for any start-up bursary, and will receive a tuition fee reduction at the level received by eligible students after their first year.
6. Requirements for the assessment of a student's household income are as follows:
(i) A member of the University as described in cl1 can only be considered for a bursary or tuition fee reduction if he or she is first financially assessed by his or her funding agency and if consent has been given for the University to access this information. Financial assessments will only be accepted from Student Finance England, Student Finance Northern Ireland, Student Finance Wales, the Student Awards Agency for Scotland, the Student Finance Services European Non UK Team, the Student Loans Company (SLC) or the National Health Service (NHS). The University will only base a student's bursary and/or tuition fee reduction upon income information provided to it via the SLC above agencies;
(ii) Special regulations for financial assessments apply to members of the University who are working in Oxford for the Preliminary Examination in Medicine and Second Examination for the degree of BM. These are set out in cll1211 and 1312;
(iii) 'Home' students are obliged to accept any maintenance grant they become eligible for as a result of financial assessment by their funding agency in order to be eligible to be assessed for a bursary and/or a tuition fee reduction. They 'Home' (and EU) students are not required by the University to take out a maintenance loan or tuition fee loan from their funding agency to be eligible to be assessed for a bursary or for a tuition fee reduction respectively.
7. The annual deadlines for the assessment of bursaries and tuition fee reductions shall be as follows:
(i) To be assessed for an Oxford bursary and/or tuition fee reduction students must comply with the application deadlines set by their funding agency. Students who fail to comply with requests to provide information to their agency will not be assessed by the University after the deadlines listed in cl7 (ii) and (iii) below;
(ii) To be assessed, or reassessed, for an Oxford bursary students must ensure that they have provided all information to their funding agency in time to ensure their assessment is complete and available to the University from the SLC or other approved agency by 30 May of the academic year in which they wish to be considered for a bursary;
(iii) To be assessed, or reassessed, for a tuition fee reduction students must ensure that they have provided all information to their funding agency in time to ensure their assessment is complete and available to the University from the SLC or other approved agency by 20 December of the academic year in which they wish to be considered for a tuition fee reduction;
(iv) Any student who wishes to be considered for a bursary and/or tuition fee reduction, or a change in their bursary and/or tuition fee reduction after the dates listed in cl 7 (ii) and (iii) must submit their case for a re-assessment to the Student Financial Support section (Examination Schools, Oxford OX1 4BG) by 30 May of that academic year. The request must detail when the student applied for funding, what difficulties he or she had in being assessed correctly, and what action he or she took to rectify this. It must also contain the final financial notification for that year, if available, and any evidence of the difficulties which he or she has experienced. If the final financial notification received by the student from the funding agency for that academic year is still not available to the University by 30 May of that academic year, the student will have until 20 December of the following academic year to submit the final financial notification for a re-assessment to be completed by the University.
(iv) Any student who wishes to be considered for a bursary and/or tuition fee reduction, or for a change in their bursary and/or tuition fee reduction after the dates listed in (ii) and (iii) above must submit a case to the Student Financial Support section (Examination Schools, Oxford OX1 4BG) detailing the delay relating to their financial assessment by 30 May of that academic year. The student must confirm when he or she applied for funding, what difficulties he or she had in being assessed correctly, the action he or she took to rectify this, and provide any corresponding evidence. The student will be expected to respond in a timely manner to any requests for further information from Student Financial Support. The student must also provide the final financial notification for that year as soon as it is available and no later than 20 December of the following academic year. If the student is in their final year of study the deadline for submission of the financial support notification is Friday of Week 9 of Trinity term of that year.
8. The arrangements for adjustments to bursaries during an academic year are as follows:
(i) Each of the regulations in this section clause will be subject to the dates and regulations listed in cl7;
(ii) Students who have received an overpayment of their bursary following a revised household income assessment will not be asked to repay any funds, unless the bursary was obtained due to incorrect information being knowingly submitted to the student's funding agency by the student or his or her sponsor;
(iii) If a student's revised household income assessment results in an increased bursary entitlement, subsequent bursary payments will be adjusted upwards to reflect the student's increased entitlement for the whole year. The increased bursary payments will be calculated as if the student had been eligible for that level from the start of the academic year;
(iv) If a student fails to provide information requested by their funding agency, as a result of which the financial assessment is withdrawn, the University will suspend bursary payments until the student's assessment has been completed by the funding agency, at which point their bursary entitlement will be re-assessed;
(v) The amount paid per term will be one third of the total annual bursary to which they are the student is eligible. Students will be expected to repay their bursary for any term where they have suspended or withdrawn before the Monday of Week 2 bursary payment date, currently Week 4 in Michaelmas term and Week 2 in Hilary and Trinity terms.
9. The arrangements for adjustments to fee liability and tuition fee reductions during an academic year are as follows:
(i) Each of the regulations in this section clause will be subject to the dates and regulations listed in cl7;
(ii) Students whose revised household income assessment has increased will not be liable for an increased tuition fee, unless the initial tuition fee reduction was obtained due to incorrect information being knowingly submitted to the student's funding agency by the student or his or her sponsor;
(iii) If a student's revised household income assessment has reduced, resulting in an entitlement to a larger tuition fee reduction, he or she will receive an additional tuition fee reduction. The level of the tuition fee reduction will calculated as if the student had been eligible for that level from the start of the academic year.
10. Household income will be assessed in the first year of study only for students who are entitled to be financially assessed by the Student Finance European team, and who are entitled, in accordance with the Special Appendix to §5, to be charged fees at the appropriate 'home' (and EU) rate. These students will not be automatically re-assessed each year. Students who wish to have their household income reassessed must submit a request to the Student Financial Support section, Examination Schools, Oxford, OX1 4BG.
1110. The arrangements for changes to bursary and tuition fee reduction entitlement between years are as follows:
(i) Students entitled, in accordance with the Special Appendix to §5, to be charged fees at the appropriate 'home' (and EU) rate, and who are entitled to be financially assessed by Student Finance England, Student Finance Northern Ireland, Student Finance Scotland Wales, the Student Awards Agency for Scotland, the Student Loans Company or the National Health Service, are required by these funding agencies to apply for financial support each year if they wish to access means-tested support. The assessment of their household income by their funding agency may change from year to year, and consequently their entitlement to a bursary and/or tuition fee reduction is subject to change each year. Special regulations are set out in cll1211 and 1312 for financial assessments for members of the University working for the Preliminary Examination in Medicine (Part II) and Bachelor of Medicine (Second Examination);
(ii) Students entitled, in accordance with the Special Appendix to §5, to be charged fees at the appropriate 'home' (and EU) rate, and who are entitled to be financially assessed by the Student Finance Services Non UK Team may have their household income assessed in the first year of study only. Students who wish to have their household income reassessed or continuing year students who wish to be financially assessed for the first time must submit a request to the Student Financial Support section, Examination Schools, Oxford, OX1 4BG.
(ii)(iii) Students will only be eligible to be assessed for a bursary and/or tuition fee reduction for the period in which they are entitled, in accordance with the Special Appendix to §5, to be charged tuition fees at the appropriate 'home' (and EU) rate.
1211. Special regulations apply for members of the University who are working in Oxford for the Preliminary Examination in Medicine (Part II) and Bachelor of Medicine (Second Examination) where these students were admitted on the accelerated four-year course. These are as follows:
(i) The household income of students in years two to four of their course will be estimated on the basis of the financial assessment of their household income in year one of their course or from their latest NHS (or corresponding authority) bursary assessment as evidenced by the student;
(ii) Students will be eligible to be assessed for a tuition fee reduction in the first year of their course. Those students not eligible for fee support from the NHS/SLC because their funding agency does not provide fee support for this course will be eligible to be assessed for a tuition fee reduction in all years of their course where household income will be estimated on the basis of the financial assessment of their household income in year one of their course. A tuition fee reduction is not available to those students who are eligible for fee support from the NHS/SLC after the first year of their course. The level of the tuition fee reduction will correspond to the reduction available to students described in cl1 (i), (ii) and (iii) after their first year of studies;
(iii) Students will be eligible to be assessed for a bursary for all years of the course. They will not be eligible for any start-up bursary available to students in cl1 (i), (ii) and (iii) in their first year of study.
1312. Special regulations apply for members of the University who are working in Oxford for the Bachelor of Medicine (Second Examination) in years four to six of the six-year medicine course:
(i) The household income of students in years five and six of the six-year medicine course will be estimated on the basis of the financial assessment of their household income in year four of their course or from their latest NHS (or corresponding authority) bursary assessment as evidenced by the student;
(ii) Students in year four of the course will be eligible to be assessed for a tuition fee reduction. The level of the tuition fee reduction will correspond to the reduction available to those eligible students described in cl1 (i), (ii) and (iii) after their first year of studies;
(iii) Students will be eligible to be assessed for a bursary for all years of the course. They will not be eligible for any start-up bursary available to students in cl1 (i), (ii) and (iii) in their first year of study.
1413. Special regulations apply for members of the University who are working in Oxford for the Certificate or Diploma in Theological and Pastoral Studies:
(i) Students will be eligible to be assessed for the tuition fee reductions advertised on the Faculty of Theology and Religion website, and determined from time to time by Council's Education Committee and Planning and Resource Allocation Committee;
(ii) Students will be eligible to be assessed for a bursary for all years of the course. They will not be eligible for any start-up bursary available to students in cl1 (i), (ii) and (iii) in their first year of study.
1514. Members of the University working in Oxford for the Postgraduate Certificate in Education will be eligible to be assessed for a tuition fee reduction determined from time to time by Council's Education Committee and Planning and Resource Allocation Committee. The level of the fee reduction will correspond to the reduction available to those eligible students described in cl1 (i), (ii) and (iii) after their first year of studies. They will only be eligible to be assessed for an Oxford bursary if they do not receive a Training and Development Agency (TDA) bursary. their full entitlement to government maintenance support (including a government teacher training bursary or affiliated scholarship) amounts to less than £9,000. They will not be eligible for any start-up bursary available to students in cl1 (i), (ii) and (iii) in their first year of study.
1615. Students who have completed the part-time Foundation Certificate in History or English Language and Literature at Oxford with the Department for Continuing Education and who progress directly to the second year of the BA in History or the BA in English Language and Literature are eligible to be assessed for any start-up bursary and/or enhanced tuition fee reduction that is normally available to students described in cl 1 (i), (ii) and (iii) in their first year.
1716. If a student believes that his or her bursary or tuition fee reduction has not been processed according to these regulations and/or the bursary and tuition fee reduction rates approved by Council's Education Committee and Planning and Resource Allocation Committee, he or she should contact the Student Financial Support section, Examination Schools, Oxford OX1 4BG. Any question of doubt or difficulty relating to the eligibility of individual students for tuition fee reductions and/or Oxford bursaries shall be determined by the Fees Panel, as described in §5, cl13 (d) and (e).'
(2) Continuation Charge
Explanatory Note
In 2010, Council agreed to introduce a University continuation charge, to be paid by research students who start their programme of study in or after September 2011, and who exceed the standard period of University fee liability: details are given at: www.ox.ac.uk/feesandfunding/fees/information/maxlib/pgrccfaq.
The process by which payment of the continuation charge should be made is now in place, and the following changes make provision for this. It also clarifies that the level of termly charge for part-time students will be half the termly rate payable by full-time students. New text has been underlined.
Text of Regulations
With immediate effect
In Examination Regulations 2013, p1156, delete ll26–7 and substitute:
'The continuation charge will first become payable in 2013–14, and the level of the charge in that year will be £400 per term for full-time students. The termly charge for part-time students will be half of the termly rate payable by full-time students. The continuation charge is payable on or before the seventh day of each Full Term or by the date of submission of the thesis, whichever is earlier, by any student who fulfils the criteria defined in this section. The full termly charge is payable regardless of the point in term at which the thesis is submitted. A thesis submitted other than during Full Term shall be deemed to have been submitted during the previous term.'
Humanities Board
26-09-13 MSt in Ancient Philosophy 
(74kb)
change to thesis title word limit
26-09-13 Honour School of Modern Languages (76kb)
to introduce new author to list of modern prescribed authors who may be studied as part of Paper XI
Mathematical, Physical and Life Sciences Board
26-09-13 Honour School of Computer Science (8kb)
to allow the Object-Oriented Programming course to be examined in the most appropriate manner
26-09-13 Honour School of Computer Science and Philosophy (7kb)
to bring regulations into line with joint degree in Mathematics and Computer Science
26-09-13 Honour School of Materials, Economics and Management (170kb)
26-09-13 Honour School of Materials Science (228kb)
(a) changes to submission deadlines
(b) clarifications and typographical corrections
Medical Sciences Board
26-09-13 DPhils in Medical Sciences Division and Doctoral Training Centre (14kb)
to amend new requirements for Confirmation of Status for students for the Degree of DPhil
26-09-13 MSc and PGDip in Integrated Immunology (10kb)
(a) to change assessment format of Clinical Commentaries
(b) to remove regulation requiring successful MSc dissertations be deposited in Radcliffe Science Library
26-09-13 Honour Schools of Cell and Systems Biology and Neuroscience (14kb)
(a) clarification of project allocation process
(b) to align dates with FHS Medical Sciences deadlines
26-09-13 Honour School of Medical Sciences (14kb)
(a) to require all students to undertake laboratory-based research projects (removal of library-based projects)
(b) minor changes to clarify project allocation process
(c) to align dates with FHS Neuroscience and Cell and Systems Biology deadlines
Social Sciences Board
26-09-13 DPhil in Anthropology (13kb)
26-09-13 MPhil in Medical Anthropology (11kb)
26-09-13 MPhil in Social Anthropology (12kb)
26-09-13 MPhil in Visual, Material and Museum Anthropology (12kb)
26-09-13 MSc in Cognitive and Evolutionary Anthropology (13kb)
26-09-13 MSc in Medical Anthropology (10kb)
26-09-13 MSc in Social Anthropology (14kb)
26-09-13 MSc in Social Anthropology (Research Methods) (20kb)
26-09-13 MSc in Visual, Material and Museum Anthropology (14kb)
26-09-13 MSt in Social Anthropology (11kb)
various minor amendments for clarification
26-09-13 DPhil in Geography (11kb)
to bring special regulations for Confirmation of Status in line with those of general regulations for the degree of DPhil
26-09-13 DPhil in Information, Communication and the Social Sciences (17kb)
(a) to clarify existing arrangements for Transfer and Confirmation of Status
(b) to make explicit the option of transferring a student to MLitt status
(c) to define MLitt thesis word length
26-09-13 DPhil in Management Studies (9kb)
to remove admissions-related information
26-09-13 EMBA (i) (24kb)
to introduce formal regulations governing transfer arrangements between part-time programmes and part-time MBA (EMBA)
26-09-13 EMBA (ii) (12kb)
26-09-13 MBA (85kb)
to introduce compulsory Global Opportunities and Threats Oxford (GOTO) assessed module
MPhil in Archaeology and MSt in Archaeology: retraction
the course changes published in Gazette no 5026, 23 May 2013, have now been withdrawn by the Social Sciences Division, with the concurrence of the Education Committee.
26-09-13 MPhil in Development Studies (10kb)
minor changes to wording for History and Politics module
26-09-13 MPhil in International Relations (18kb)
to restructure teaching and assessment of first year of programme
26-09-13 MPhil in Sociology and Demography (20kb)
new course to replace MPhil in Sociology
26-09-13 MSc in Contemporary Chinese Studies (102kb)
(a) to clarify that a language option may not be offered every year
(b) to enable language provision from external sources
(c) minor change to title of a core option
26-09-13 MSc in Contemporary India (11kb)
minor changes for clarification
26-09-13 MSc in Criminology & Criminal Justice (& Research Methods) (i) (8kb)
amendment to title of option module from 'Human Rights and Criminal Justice' to 'Comparative Criminal Justice, Security and Human Rights'
26-09-13 MSc in Criminology & Criminal Justice (& Research Methods) (ii) (8kb)
to introduce new option module 'Criminal Justice in Transitional Settings'
26-09-13 MSc in Economics for Development (8kb)
minor change to wording of rubric concerning the Economic Theory module
26-09-13 MSc in Education (14kb)
(a) minor changes to wording of regulations for clarification
(b) changes to deadline for application to take other Master's courses' papers
(c) changes to resit requirements
26-09-13 MSc in Environmental Change and Management (9kb)
minor amendment to re-sit arrangements
26-09-13 MSc in Learning and Teaching (14kb)
(a) changes to requirements for award of a distinction overall
(b) removal of science and maths options
(c) changes to permissions for resubmission
(d) changes to deadlines for submission of assignments 1 and 2
26-09-13 MSc in Sociology (12kb)
to introduce requirement for second option paper as part of overall teaching and learning/assessment regime
26-09-13 BCL MJur (11kb)
introduction of 'International and European Criminal Law' option
26-09-13 Honour School of Geography (12kb)
(a) various minor amendments
(b) change to timing of fieldcourse
26-09-13 Advanced Diploma in British Archaeology (10kb)
new course
26-09-13 PGDip in Financial Strategy (9kb)
26-09-13 PGDip in Global Business (9kb)
26-09-13 PGDip in Organisational Leadership (9kb)
26-09-13 PGDip in Strategy and Innovation (9kb)
to allow substitution of core courses with core courses from the other part-time programmes offered by the School