Payments and refunds

Course fees are payable to your college (check payment arrangements as these can differ from college to college) except for a small number of courses delivered by Saïd Business School and the Department for Continuing Education which collect fees direct. Fees for courses with a modular structure are usually paid direct to the department. If you are a Home undergraduate and you have taken out a UK government tuition fee loan, this will be paid direct to the University. Your college may ask for evidence of the loan.

Course fees for the full academic year are payable no later than Week 1 in the term in which study commences. We recommend you contact your college to check payment arrangements.

As course fees are collected by colleges, you should visit your college's website for more information about acceptable methods of payment.

Course fees are payable annually in advance.  In exceptional circumstances your college may allow you to pay by instalments. You should contact your college as soon as possible before the start of the academic year if you would like to investigate this.

If you withdraw from your course, you will generally be eligible for a refund of course fees for each complete term not started. If you withdraw during a term, you may be liable for fees for that term depending on the date of your withdrawal. If you withdraw before Monday of Week 4 of any term then you will not usually be liable for fees for that term. If you withdraw after Monday of Week 4 of any term, you will be liable for fees for that term. Different policies apply to certain courses delivered by Saïd Business School and the Department for Continuing Education and for courses with a modular structure. If you are thinking about withdrawing, you should talk to your college or your department to discuss your options.

The same rules apply for suspension as for withdrawal. If you are considering suspending your studies you should talk to your college or your department to discuss your options.

There may be circumstances where students neither withdraw nor suspend, but wish to seek a practical remedy or a monetary payment because they consider that key aspects of the course as described in the Course Information Sheet were not delivered, or were delivered in a different way, which has negatively affected them. Any such concerns can be escalated through the Student Complaints Process.

If you are a research student and are planning to submit your thesis before you reach your maximum fee liability, you only need to pay fees up to and including the term in which you submit your thesis. For example, if you submit your DPhil thesis in the 8th term since starting, you will pay 8 terms of fees but not fees for the 9th term.

As fees are charged annually, students who submit their theses before the end of the academic year may originally have been liable to pay fees beyond their thesis submission date. Any fees paid for terms beyond the date that your thesis is submitted will be refunded. Alternatively, your college may, at its discretion, agree to accept payment only for the period up to your expected thesis submission date.

If your thesis is referred back to you then you may be liable for a re-submission charge. Please refer to the Other charges page for more information.

Yes, course fees are payable whether you are in Oxford or are conducting research elsewhere. Research programmes have a standard period of fee liability, more information on this is available in the fee liability section of this page.

You should contact your college in the first instance. The college will contact the relevant University departments and your fee will be investigated. If you are not satisfied with the result of the investigation, you may petition the Fees Panel. For more information on how to petition the Fees Panel, please email the Student Fees Team. Requests for refunds will not normally be considered more than one year after the fee has been paid.

If you don't pay your course fees, at the University’s discretion you will be suspended from your course and from access to all University facilities. You will not be allowed to sit any examinations or submit any coursework. If you are having difficulty paying your fees, we recommend you talk to your college at the earliest opportunity.

The rules regarding payment of fees and refunds are in the Examination Regulations, Regulations on Financial Matters, Section 1, Subsection 3. You can also discuss payments and refunds with your college.