Fee liability
Your length of fee liability is the length of time that you have to pay course fees to the University. Your normal period of fee liability will usually be the same as the standard length of your course.
For information on how fee status is decided and changes to status see Fee Status.
Fee liability information
You are required to pay your course fees for the year no later than Week 1 in the term in which you commence study or seven days after the actual start date of your course if this is later. We recommend you contact your college to check payment arrangements.
What fees or charges are payable after I've reached the standard period of course fees liability?
Currently some colleges apply a termly continuation charge once students have exceeded the standard period of course fees liability.
The University will apply a continuation charge for graduate students starting research study in 2011/12 or later (this includes any students progressing from a postgraduate taught degree to a research degree in 2011/12). The charge will apply to all students regardless of Home/EU or Overseas fee status.
Further information about University and college continuation charges can be found on the Continuation charges page.
Fees may also be payable if you need to re-sit an examination, change your options after the deadline re-submit a thesis or dissertation, or need a transcript beyond the first copy.
Does the University apply any fees or charges in addition to course fees?
Some charges are made in addition to course fees, for example if you need to re-sit an examination, change your options after the deadline, or need to re-submit a thesis or dissertation, or need a transcript beyond the first copy. More details on these fees are available on the other charges page available from the right hand side of this page.
I'm a research student and I'm conducting research outside Oxford, do I still have to pay course fees?
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 below.
Standard completion times and standard fee liability by qualification
Maximum liabilities quoted on this page are taken from detailed information contained in the University's Regulations on Financial Matters, which are the definitive source for information on University fees.
The maximum liability periods listed below apply to full-time courses. For part-time courses, the maximum liability is twice the number of terms of the equivalent full-time course.
Undergraduate qualifications
- Expected completion time: dependent on course but usually three to four years.
- Standard fee liability: fees are payable for every year a student is registered on course.
Postgraduate Certificate (PGCert) / Postgraduate Diploma (PGDip)
- Expected completion time: dependent on course.
- Standard fee liability: fees are payable for every year a student is registered on course.
Postgraduate Certificate of Education (PGCE)
- Expected completion time: one year.
- Standard fee liability: fees are payable for every year a student is registered on course.
Bachelor of Civil Law (BCL) / Magister Juris (MJur)
- Expected completion time: one year (three terms).
- Standard fee liability: fees are payable for every year a student is registered on course.
Master of Letters (MLitt)
- Expected completion time: six terms.
- Maximum fee liability: six terms unless an examination is failed.
Master of Studies (MSt) / Master of Science (MSc) (by coursework)
- Expected completion time: three terms.
- Maximum fee liability: six terms unless an examination is failed.
Master of Science (MSc) (by research)
- Expected completion time: two to three years.
- Standard fee liability: six terms, continuation charges may be payable beyond six terms.
Master of Fine Art (MFA)
- Expected completion time: 40 weeks.
- Maximum fee liability: six terms unless an exam is failed.
Master of Business Administration (MBA)
- Expected completion time: 32 weeks (excluding vacations).
- Maximum fee liability: six terms unless an exam is failed.
Master of Theology (MTh)
- Expected completion time: two years (six terms) when studied full-time.
- Maximum fee liability: six terms when studied full-time unless an examination is failed.
Master of Public Policy (MPP)
- Expected completion time: three terms.
- Maximum fee liability: six terms unless an examination is failed.
Bachelor of Philosophy (BPhil) / Master of Philosophy (MPhil)
- Expected completion time: six terms.
- Maximum fee liability: six terms unless an examination is failed.
Doctor of Philosophy (DPhil) and Doctoral Programmes in the Mathematical, Physical and Life Sciences (MPLS) Division
- Expected completion time: three to four years (9 to 12 terms) from admission to the programme.
- Standard fee liability: 9 terms (for exceptions see below). Continuation charges may be payable beyond 9 terms. See 'What fees or charges are payable after I've reached the standard period of course fees liability?' above.
The following courses have a 12 term fee liability and an expected completion time of four years (12 terms) from admission to the programme.
For doctoral training programmes only, terms enrolled at another university as part of your course are counted towards the standard period of fee liability. Continuation charges may be payable beyond the standard period of fee liability.
- Autonomous Intelligent Machines and Systems ESPRC CDT: 12 terms
- Chemical Synthesis for a Healthy Planet EPSRC CDT: 12 terms
- Cyber Security ESPRC CDT: 12 terms
- EcoWild NERC CDT: 12 terms
- Engineering Biology EPSRC and BBRSC CDT: 12 terms
- Environmental Research NERC DTP: 12 terms
- Fundamentals of AI EPSRC CDT: 12 terms
- Fusion Power EPSRC CDT: 12 terms
- Health Data Science EPSRC CDT: 12 terms
- Healthcare Data Science EPSRC CDT: 12 terms
- Industrially Focused Mathematical Modelling EPSRC CDT: 12 terms
- Inflammatory and Musculoskeletal Disease EPSRC and MRC CDT: 12 terms
- Inorganic Chemistry for Future Manufacturing EPSRC CDT: 12 terms
- Inorganic Materials for Advanced Manufacturing EPSRC CDT: 12 terms
- Intelligent Earth: AI for the Environment EPSRC CDT: 12 terms
- Interdisciplinary Bioscience BBSRC DTP: 12 terms
- DPhil in Interdisciplinary Life & Environmental Science BBSRC and NERC CDT: 12 terms
- Materials 4.0 EPSRC CDT: 12 terms
- Mathematics of Random Systems: Analysis, Models and Algorithms EPSRC CDT: 12 terms
- Modern Statistics and Statistical Machine Learning EPSRC CDT: 12 terms
- Quantum Informatics EPSRC CDT: 12 terms
- Robotics and AI for Net Zero EPSRC CDT: 12 terms
- Statistics and Machine Learning EPSRC CDT: 12 terms
- Superconductivity: Enabling Transformative Tech EPSRC CDT: 12 terms
- Sustainable Approaches to Biomedical Science EPSRC and MRC CDT: 12 terms
- Synthesis for Biology and Medicine EPSRC CDT: 12 terms
- Theory and Modelling in Chemical Sciences EPSRC CDT: 12 terms. All students are enrolled on the MSc in Theoretical and Computational Chemistry for three terms, and are liable for three terms of course fees. Following this, and subject to meeting the progression criteria, students remaining at Oxford are enrolled on the Theory and Modelling in Chemical Sciences programme and are liable for a further nine terms of course fees. Those enrolled at the University of Southampton or the University of Bristol for years two to four of their programme will be liable for fees at those universities at their fee rates, and on successful completion of their programme will be awarded a PhD by the university where they have been enrolled.
- DPhil in Wind and Marine Energy Systems and Structures EPSRC CDT: 12 terms
Doctor of Philosophy (DPhil) and Doctoral Programmes in the Medical Sciences (MSD) Division
- Expected completion time: three to four years (9 to 12 terms).
- Standard fee liability: 9 terms (for exceptions see below). Continuation charges may be payable beyond 9 terms. See 'What fees or charges are payable after I've reached the standard period of course fees liability?' above.
Some of the following courses have a different fee liability to the standard 9 term fee liability period. Please refer to the list below for further details.
For doctoral training programmes only, terms enrolled at another university as part of your course are counted towards the standard period of fee liability. Continuation charges may be payable beyond the standard period of fee liability.
- DPhil in Cancer Science: 9 terms
- DPhil in Biomedical Sciences NIH-OU: 12 terms
- DPhil in Biomedical and Clinical Sciences (Oxford-GSK): 9 terms
- Cancer Science CDT (Biological background): 12 terms
- DPhil in Cancer Science (Clinician): 9 terms
- DPhil in Cancer Science (Intercalation): 9 terms
- Cancer Science CDT (Maths/Physics background): 12 terms
- DPhil in Cardiovascular Science: 12 terms
- DPhil in Cellular Structural Biology: 12 terms
- Chemistry in Cells - New Tech to Probe Complex Biology and Medicine: 12 terms
- DPhil in Chromosome and Developmental Biology: 12 terms
- DPhil in Computational Discovery: 12 terms
- DPhil in Genomic Medicine and Statistics: 12 terms
- DPhil in Ion Channels and Disease (OXION): 12 terms
- DPhil in Inflammatory and Musculoskeletal Disease: 9 terms
- DPhil in Ion Channels and Membrane Transport in Health and Disease (OXION): 12 terms
- DPhil in Structural Biology: 12 terms
- Doctor of Medicine: 2 - 8 terms
- Health Data Science EPSRC CDT: 12 terms
- Healthcare Data Science (EPSRC CDT): 12 terms
Doctor of Philosophy (DPhil) and Doctoral Programmes in the Social Sciences (SSD) Division
- Expected completion time: Three to four years (9 to 12 terms).
- Standard fee liability: 9 terms. Continuation charges may be payable beyond 9 terms. See 'What fees or charges are payable after I've reached the standard period of course fees liability?' above.
Doctor of Philosophy (DPhil) and Doctoral Programmes in the Humanities (HUM) Division and the Department for Continuing Education (ContEd)
- Expected completion time: Three to four years (9 to 12 terms).
- Standard fee liability: 9 terms. Continuation charges may be payable beyond 9 terms. See 'What fees or charges are payable after I've reached the standard period of course fees liability?' above.
DPhil programmes offered by the Department for Continuing Education will be part-time.
EngD
- Expected completion time: four years (12 terms) from admission to the programme.
- Standard fee liability: 12 terms. Continuation charges may be payable beyond 12 terms. See 'What fees or charges are payable after I've reached the standard period of college fee liability?'
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