Consumer information and policies

Overview

Admissions Policies and Procedures

The links below provide an overview of the University of Oxford's general admissions policies and procedures:-

• Undergraduate Admissions
• Graduate Admissions
• Continuing Education

Entry requirements (transfer of credits)

Students are recommended to check the course page for individual programme admission requirements. Please also refer to the information on international qualifications for undergraduates and international qualifications for graduate students.

When assessing students for a US Federal loan, the US loans team will identify whether the student has a High School Diploma or equivalent (e.g. GED Certificate).

Programs ineligible for Federal Student Aid

There are restrictions on the University's ability to offer federal loan funds to students on certain courses. Students on ineligible courses may however be eligible for a private loan. The following types of courses are not eligible for federal loans:

• any non-degree bearing course, eg undergraduate or graduate certificates and diplomas;
• courses which are less than half time
• courses involving study outside of the UK for more than 25% of the overall course duration
• courses involving telecommunications or correspondence (including distance education and/or self-directed; online teaching or by direct assessment)*
• medical training courses
• summer school courses

*Eligible programs and courses may only use telecommunications technologies to supplement and support instruction that is offered in a classroom located in Oxford (UK) i.e. where the students and instructors are physically present.

Study Abroad whilst on programme

Regulations will potentially allow students receiving US federal loans to take up to 25 percent of their program of study in the United States or at institutions outside the US through a written agreement. The US loan team will need to assess the eligibility of your selected institution/entity to ensure it meets the conditions of the regulation. If you plan to undertake any periods of study or research away from Oxford during your course, please email the US loans team before applying for your loan so that we can assess your eligibility. It is important that you contact us at the beginning of your course so that we can advise accordingly, even if you will not be completing study outside of Oxford until a future year of study.

The US loans team will assess whether your course is eligible when you submit your loan application. Please note that if any element of your programme is ineligible for federal loans, even if just a single part of one year, the entirety of the degree and all years become ineligible. We would therefore recommend you also check with the US loans team prior to starting your degree if you have any queries or concerns about the eligibility of your programme of study. Please email the US loans team with any questions.

Data security and privacy of student records

Your rights under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) 2018 are outlined on the University's Data protection pages. For information on how to make a request for access to personal data under the GDPR, please email the Data Protection team. If you wish to learn more about data security compliance at the University of Oxford, please access the University’s privacy policies.

The US loans team will request data from you in order to process your loan application. In certain circumstances, the US loans team is required to request specific information from you in order to comply with US federal regulations. We will hold any sensitive data that you submit to us in compliance with the GDPR and US federal regulations.

Should you have a complaint about how the US loans team have handled your data you have the right to file a complaint with the US Department of Education, although it would be preferable for you to contact the team in the first instance so they can discuss the problem with you and try to resolve it.

Student financial aid information

For information about all need-based and non need-based federal, local, private and institutional student financial assistance available to students at the University, please see our Fees and funding pages.

For the following information about US federal student loans, please see our US loans page:

• Terms and conditions of the Title IV HEA (Higher Education Act) loans.
• Criteria for selecting recipients and determining the award amount.
• Eligibility requirements and procedures for applying for aid.
• Methods and frequency of disbursements of aid.
• Rights and responsibilities of students receiving Title IV HEA student financial aid, including the criteria for continued student eligibility and standards for satisfactory academic progress.
• Terms of loans received as part of the financial aid package, a sample loan repayment schedule and the necessity for repaying loans.
• Procedures and forms by which students apply for assistance.
• A statement that enrolment in a program of study abroad approved for credit by the home school may be considered enrolment in the home school for the purposes of applying for federal student financial aid; and
• The exit counselling information the University collects and provides to servicers.

Student loan information published by the US Department of Education

The University will provide information published by the US Department of Education to students at any time that information regarding loan availability is requested, including the rights and responsibilities of students and schools under Title IV HEA (Higher Education Act) loan programs. See the Federal Student Aid website for more information, and in particular the loan availability and the types of loans available page.  

Student Welfare

There are a number of services available to provide support to students during their studies at the University of Oxford, please see our Welfare and Wellbeing page. 

Facilities and services available to students with disabilities

Information about the facilities and services available to students with disabilities is available from the Disability Advisory Service.

Refund policy, requirements for withdrawal and return of Title IV financial aid

For information about the University's refund policy, please see our Fee payments and refunds pages. Requirements for the return of Title IV funds are published in the University's Return to Title IV (R2T4) Policy (More information on this is on our Return to Title IV (R2T4) Policy tab).

Procedures for withdrawal are outlined in the R2T4 Policy and are also available from your department's Graduate Studies Office (for graduates) or from your college (for undergraduates).

Academic programme information (educational programme, student activities, textbooks, instructional facilities and faculty)

For information about current degree programmes and other educational and training programmes available at the University, please see the following pages:

• Undergraduate courses
• Graduate courses
• Department for continuing education

For information about instructional, laboratory, and other facilities that relate to your academic programme, and for faculty and other instructional personnel, please see the relevant department pages from our Departments A-Z. Should a plan exist to improve your academic programme, this would be communicated to you by the relevant department.

Information on student activities at Oxford is available from the Student Life page.  

Information about required and recommended textbook for your course will be supplied by your department. Please contact the relevant department for advice on specific information on textbooks.

Information on library services can be viewed on the Bodleian Libraries website.

Careers Service

The Oxford University Careers Service provides advice and guidance to students during and after course enrolment.

Gainful Employment

The University of Oxford is approved only to provide Federal loan lending for students on a degree programme. Therefore, there are no Gainful Employment Disclosures to report.

National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS)

If you take out a federal loan at Oxford, we will submit the details of your loan to NSLDS and this data will be accessible to guaranty agencies, lenders and schools determined to be authorised users of the data system.

Entrance counselling for student loan borrowers

Prior to the first disbursement, first-time borrowers (other than for Parent PLUS loans) will be provided with comprehensive information on the terms and conditions of the loan and of the borrower’s responsibilities through entrance counselling. At Oxford, entrance counselling is required to be completed via StudentLoans.gov before a loan will be approved.

Exit counselling for student loan borrowers

The University will provide exit counselling to borrowers of loans (other than for Parent PLUS loans) shortly before the student borrower ceases at least half-time study at the school. At Oxford, exit counselling should be completed via StudentLoans.gov. Any student who fails to complete exit counselling via StudentLoans.gov will be emailed a copy of the exit counselling guide, produced by the US Department of Education.

PLUS counselling for student loan borrowers

Prior to the first disbursement, borrowers who are informed by the US Department of Education that they have an adverse credit history (and have obtained an approved endorser or documented to the satisfaction of the US Department of Education that there are extenuating circumstances related to the adverse credit history) will be required to undertake PLUS counselling.  At Oxford, PLUS counselling is required to be completed via StudentLoans.gov before a loan will be approved.

Private education loan disclosures

It is stated clearly on the US loans and Private loans pages that most students at Oxford are eligible for federal loans and that these are normally much cheaper than private loans.

Code of conduct for education loans

The University's code of conduct for US education loans is as follows:

In order to prohibit a conflict of interest with the responsibilities of an agent with respect to private education loans, all agents at the University with responsibility for US loans are prohibited from:

• revenue-sharing arrangements with any lender 
• receiving gifts from a lender, a guarantor, or a loan servicer
• contracting arrangements providing financial benefit from any lender or affiliate of a lender 
• directing borrowers to particular lenders* or refusing or delaying loan certifications 
• offers of funds for private loans 
• call centre or financial aid office staffing assistance
• advisory board compensation.

All agents with responsibility for US loans are reminded at least annually of the code.

* If you are applying for a private US student loan, the University will work with whichever private lender you decide to use, if they are willing to work with us. Please note that we are only aware of one lender currently offering such loans, which is Sallie Mae. Sallie Mae is not a preferred lender and this does not represent a preferred lender arrangement.

US tax forms

The IRS have confirmed that US students no longer need to submit a 1098T form to claim the tax credit. All you will need to provide to claim the tax credit is the amount paid in tuition fees and our EIN number which is 98-6001062. To provide evidence of the amount that you have paid in fees the IRS have confirmed that a statement from the institution showing the amount of fees paid e.g. a battels statement can be used. You may also be required to provide proof of your current enrolment, for example an enrolment certificate or if you have completed your studies then a final transcript or Degree Confirmation letter can be used to confirm your dates of study instead. If you have any questions please email the US loans team.

The US Loans team can advise on general queries, however if you have queries about your individual tax requirements you will need to contact the IRS or a financial advisor for guidance. 

R2T4 Policy 

US federal law specifies that, if a student begins attendance and then withdraws from their programme of study in the middle of a payment period, the University of Oxford must complete a Return to Title IV (R2T4) calculation and arrange for any ‘unearned’ loan funds to be returned to the US Department of Education. For the purposes of Title IV, a student is considered withdrawn, if they ceased attendance in the University or withdrew 100% from their programme of study. 

For R2T4 purposes, a Leave of Absence (LOA) for longer than 180 days or an ‘unapproved LOA’ is also deemed to be a withdrawal (see further detail and definitions below). When considering US Federal loans, the University is classed as an attendance taking institution. Schools/institutions that are attendance taking must make a determination within 14 days of a student's non-attendance if they should be withdrawn or not. 

A LOA is a temporary interruption in a student's programme of study and is equivalent to a suspension/suspension of status at the University of Oxford. However, only graduate research students are eligible to apply for an approved LOA as, for the purpose of Title IV, the University of Oxford cannot approve a LOA if a student cannot resume their education at the same point in their programme of study that they began the LOA. This is considered unscheduled leave and the student will be withdrawn for Federal Aid purposes only. The University will perform an R2T4 calculation if a student is withdrawn in the middle of a payment period.

This policy covers the following topics:

• University of Oxford’s procedure for withdrawing or taking leave of absence, including the offices designated to receive official notifications of intent to withdraw;
• University of Oxford’s fee refund policy;
• Requirements regarding the treatment of Title IV funds when a student withdraws or takes leave of absence.

The policy should enable students to:

• Determine the procedures for withdrawing or taking an approved LOA, and the financial consequences of doing so;
• Estimate how much Federal Student Aid (FSA) they will retain, and how much they may have to return, upon withdrawing;
• Understand the difference and interaction between the University’s refund policy and the federal return requirements;
• Understand how the University might adjust a student’s charges to take into account any return of FSA funds the University might be required to make;
• Understand that if they withdraw, University charges that were previously paid by FSA funds might become a debit that the student will be responsible for paying;
• Understand the effects that a failure to return from a LOA may have on loan repayment terms, including the expiration of the grace period.

This policy will also be used when calculating the return of funds to the US Department of Education for reasons other than withdrawal/leave of absence. The policy will be applied when a student becomes ineligible for federal aid at the University of Oxford following changes to their enrolment or other factors; or for any other reasons that federal aid funds are returned to the US Department of Education. 

University of Oxford Procedure: Withdrawal or Leave of Absence (LOA)/Suspension

• Graduate students: Students should complete the GSO.29 Form for Withdrawal or the GSO.17 Form for Suspension of Status/Leave of Absence. The forms are available from our Graduate forms page. The forms should be submitted to the Graduate Studies Assistant in your Department. The forms require the signature and comments of your Supervisor and College Tutor for Graduates. Once your withdrawal or leave has been processed or approved, you will receive a letter of confirmation from the Graduate Studies Office. Please ensure you tick the box that states you are a US Loan student on the GSO forms.
• Undergraduate students: Students should follow the withdrawal or suspension process within their college. Normally this will involve meeting the Senior Tutor and/or Academic Registrar, and potentially also the Dean and/or Welfare Team. A formal letter will be sent once the request has been approved by the Senior Tutor, setting out any terms and conditions of the suspension or confirming the withdrawal.

Students funding their studies through US federal student loans are required to inform the US loans team of their suspension/withdrawal at the same time as notifying their college/the Graduate Studies Assistant. Graduate research students should provide a copy of their GSO form to the US loans team at this time so that a determination can be made on whether the suspension meets the criteria for an approved LOA as defined by the US Department of Education (see below).

University of Oxford Policy: Refunds of Fees

The amount of Title IV funds due for return as a result of a withdrawal is calculated independently of the tuition fee liability charged by the University.

For reference, the University Refund Policy is as follows, and is not to be confused with R2T4 calculations and refunds. Should a student withdraw from their programme of study, they will only be entitled to a refund of fees paid if they have not yet reached Monday of 4th week of the term in progress. Further information on the University’s refund policy is available by emailing the Student Fees team or visiting the Payments and refunds page.

Timeframes and treatment of Title IV funds when a student withdraws (including unapproved LOA and LOA for more than 180 days)

When a student withdraws, the US Loans Team will calculate the amount of Title IV program assistance that has been earned up to that point, using a Return of Title IV (R2T4) calculation as provided by the US Department of Education. Individual colleges or the Central Finance department (as applicable) are responsible for the transfer of R2T4 funds to the US Department of Education.

If a college owes a withdrawn student any funds (i.e. credit balance refund), this must be put on hold until the R2T4 is calculated. Once the R2T4 calculations have been performed by the US loans team, the College has 14 days to refund the necessary funds to the student. 

The University will return unearned funds for which it is responsible as soon as possible but no later than 45 days from the date of determination (the date that the institution determined the student ceased attendance) of a student’s withdrawal. For a student who did not start at Oxford or was here for a few days only and did not receive loan funds before withdrawing, the funds will be returned within 30 days. Within the same 30 days, the University will also inform NSLDS (National Student Loan Data System) of the withdrawal, which will trigger all loans going into repayment.

Loan funds must be returned in the following order:

1. Federal Direct Unsubsidized loans
2. Federal Direct Subsidized loans (awarded to undergraduates only)
3. Direct PLUS Loans (Graduate or Parent)

For the purposes of the R2T4, the withdrawal date is the last date of academic attendance as determined by the University from its attendance records. Academically related activities include but are not limited to

• physically attending a class where there is an opportunity for direct interaction between the instructor and students;
• submitting an academic assignment;
• taking an exam, completing an interactive tutorial, or participating in computer-assisted instruction;
• attending a study group that is assigned by the school;
• participating in an online discussion about academic matters; and
• Initiating contact with a faculty member to ask a question about the academic subject studied in the course.

The amount of loan funds earned is calculated as follows:

Number of study days completed divided by Total number of study days in payment period

Standard payment periods at the University of Oxford for the year 2023-24 are: 

Standard payment periods at the University of Oxford for the year 2024-25 are: 

*After term has started, breaks of 5 or more consecutive days are to be counted as non-study days. Any period under 5 consecutive days, including weekends within the study period, are study days.

** Students withdrawing on or after this date have completed 60% of the payment period and therefore no funds need to be returned to the US Department of Education. The day of withdrawal is counted as a completed day.

Once the student has completed more than 60% of the payment period, all the assistance that the student was scheduled to receive for that period is considered to have been earned. As an example, if the student completes 30% of the payment period, they have earned 30% of the assistance they were originally scheduled to receive within that loan period. If the student has completed 60% of the payment period, they have earned 100% of the assistance they were scheduled to receive.

If the student received more assistance than was earned, the excess funds must be returned to the US Department of Education by the University and/or the student.

The University is required to calculate the amount of 'unearned' loan funds from a student’s last payment and return the proportion of unearned funds that have been deducted for fees to the US. 

The student is responsible for repaying the remainder of unearned aid in accordance with the terms and conditions of their loan agreement (MPNs). 

The requirements for Title IV program funds when students withdraw are separate from the University’s refund policy. Therefore, the student may still owe funds to the University to cover unpaid institutional charges. The University may attempt to collect from the student any Title IV program funds that the University is required to return.

Students who do not attend even initial lectures or seminars are ineligible to receive any Title IV funds and all loan proceeds will be returned to the US Department of Education. The student will be liable for any fees or outstanding balances owed to the college or University.

Students who fail all or part of their course should seek advice from their tutor/supervisor as soon as possible. In general, the regulations permit undergraduate students failing the First Public Examination at the first attempt to re-enter some form of the examination, normally within a year. The regulations permit students failing the Second Public Examination (‘Finals’) to re-enter but, unless they do so within the maximum number of terms specified for the subject concerned, they will not normally be eligible to obtain Honours. Except for a small number of subjects detailed in the regulations, if you have been classified in the Second Public Examination, you may not re-take your Finals in order to try to improve your results. Graduate students on taught courses are normally allowed to make a second attempt at a failed examination, in accordance with the regulations for the particular qualification. The detailed provisions for any resit arrangements for each qualification are explained in the University’s Examination Regulations. Once exact arrangements are known the US loans team can advise students on the impact this will have on their loans depending on whether they are withdrawing/suspending their status. The University will require documentation to show when a student has failed, for example the score from an examination.

If a student fails their course through non-attendance for example not showing up at an examination or attending lectures, the University will follow the unofficial withdrawal process. The last verifiable date of attendance will be used for R2T4 calculation.

Unofficial withdrawals

An unofficial withdrawal occurs when a student ceases to attend the University, but the University has not received notice of this from the student. College administrators are required to advise the US loans team of any unofficial withdrawals of federal loan recipients.

For R2T4 purposes, the US Loans Team will use as the date of withdrawal either:

• the last date of attendance as determined by the attendance records which are monitored for all students in receipt of a Tier 4 visa (currently monitored at the end of every term);
• where a student has attended past the last date of attendance recorded for the purpose of Tier 4 visa monitoring, the University will use the last verifiable date of attendance at an academically-related activity.

The unofficial withdrawal will then follow the normal procedure for returning Title IV loan funds.

Post-withdrawal Disbursements

If the value disbursed to the University or student before withdrawal is less than the earned value, the University will contact the student and arrange for a post-withdrawal disbursement to be made by bank transfer in pounds sterling to the student. The following regulations would apply;

• The University will provide written notification within 30 days of the date of determination of withdrawal
• Student (or parent) confirmation is required within 14 days of the written notification
• Funds are disbursed directly to the student - as soon as possible, but no later than 45 calendar days after the date of determination
• Funds are disbursed as credit to the student’s account – within 180 days after date of determination

Post-Withdrawal Disbursements are determined through the R2T4 process and will be only relevant to students where there have been multiple disbursements within a payment period.

Treatment of Title IV funds when a student takes approved LOA for less than 180 day

In order to qualify as an approved LOA for the purposes of federal aid (negating the need for the University to perform a Return calculation), the LOA must meet the conditions outlined below:

• the LOA must be approved by the University, in accordance with the Suspension procedures outlined above;
• the LOA must be requested in writing in advance by submitting a signed and dated GSO form to the US loans team, unless unforeseen circumstances prevent the student from doing so (for example, injury or illness);
• the situation described as the reason for the LOA (which will normally be found on the GS0.17 form) must be one that leads to a reasonable expectation that the student will return from the LOA within the allowed time frame;
• the LOA, together with any additional leaves of absence, must not exceed a total of 180 days in any 12-month period, including days in which school is not in session;
• the student must resume training at the same point in the academic programme that they began the LOA;
• the University must inform the student of the possible consequences a withdrawal may have on the student’s loan repayment terms, including exhaustion of the student’s grace period.

A student granted a LOA that meets the criteria stated above is not considered to have withdrawn, and no R2T4 calculation is required.

During the LOA, the University will not charge the student any additional institutional charges, the student's financial need will not increase, and therefore, the student will not be eligible for any disbursements of Federal Student Aid. A student who is granted an approved LOA maintains in-school status for Title IV loan repayment purposes.

The start date of the LOA for federal loans purposes is the date that the LOA comes into effect. Where a LOA is requested retrospectively, the date of determination (the date that the institution determined the student ceased attendance) of a student’s withdrawal may be used.

If a student does not return from an approved LOA, or the LOA does not qualify as an approved LOA, the student will be deemed to have withdrawn for the purposes of federal aid and R2T4 calculations will be required. One possible consequence of not returning from a LOA is that a student’s grace period for Title IV program loan repayments might be exhausted. The date of withdrawal will be treated as the date that the approved LOA began.

Retrospective suspensions

For US federal loans purposes, a retrospective suspension occurs when a student submits an application for suspension of status that is backdated to the start of a term that has ended or is due to end in the near future. This means that a student might effectively have a period of uninterrupted enrolment; although they have a suspension recorded on their student record, their student status may not change as a result, depending on the timing of the application for suspension of status and any future, non-retrospective terms of suspension of status granted at the same time.

When a student remains enrolled, periods of retrospective suspension are counted towards Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) measurements (please see the SAP policy for further details).

If a student’s department provides conflicting information by confirming that they are making SAP and then approving a retrospective suspension, there is a financial risk that federal loan funds will have been awarded in error. This means that there may be a requirement for the student and department to return funds to the US.

To avoid a situation in which a student inadvertently borrows funds for a period in which they are ineligible to receive federal loans, US loan takers are strongly advised not to apply to suspend their studies retrospectively.

Graduate research students in receipt of US federal loans who require more time to complete their studies are encouraged instead to discuss with their department the possibility of applying for an extension of time, if they have completed the normal maximum time on their programme (e.g. 12 terms for a full-time DPhil student). Undergraduate and postgraduate taught students, and postgraduate research students who have not yet completed the normal maximum time on their programme, are encouraged to discuss possible options with their college/department, if they are in receipt of US federal loans and require more time to complete their studies.

Students wishing to fund their studies through US federal loans are eligible to take loans for up to 150% of the published length of their programme, and therefore graduate research students are eligible to borrow loans beyond their period of fee liability. Please see the SAP policy for further details of the maximum timeframes for different courses.

Students who are receiving US federal loans must inform the US loans team of any plans to suspend or extend their studies as early as possible so that the team can advise on the best course of action. Departments and colleges are asked to be aware of the potential issues when a US loan taker applies for a retrospective suspension, and to discuss other options with the student and if necessary seek advice from the US loans team before considering approval.