Residency requirements

 

The University's residency requirements apply to all full-time students. This usually means that students are required to live both within a certain distance from the University (called limits in the regulations) and for a set period of time during their studies (called terms in the regulations). 

 

There are some normal limits and terms which are set by the Regulation for Residence in the University. However, some courses have a different number of terms as a minimum which will be set out in their Examination Regulations. 

 

Residence limits do not apply to students on part-time courses, or to students carrying out approved study abroad, or to DPhil. students who have permission to work away from Oxford.

In general undergraduate students must adhere to the following rules: 

In general, postgraduate taught students must adhere to the following rules:

Residency requirements for postgraduate research students (PGR) are more flexible than those for post graduate taught students. In general, PGR students must:

The DPhil regulations allow boards to approve a student’s residence elsewhere for educational reasons whilst studying. 

 

Any application for dispensation from residence should first be discussed with the supervisor and/or Director of Graduate Studies in order to determine what progress the student can reasonably make on their DPhil outside Oxford. Options such as suspension or extension could also be explored, if appropriate.

 

Most postgraduate students are first admitted as a Probationer Research Student, unless they are admitted directly to DPhil status having successfully completed an MPhil and are pursuing research in the same field as their MPhil thesis. The General Regulations Governing Research Degrees include the expectation that Probationer Research Students (PRS) are physically studying at Oxford. However, the regulations allow boards to approve a student being resident elsewhere whilst studying. COVID-19 related reasons are acceptable grounds for boards to grant a PRS student permission not to be resident in Oxford while they hold this status. To apply for such a dispensation, new students will need to complete a GSO.8 Application for Dispensation from Residence form, existing students will need to apply using the online GSO.8 form available via Student Self-Service.

The Proctors may excuse a student from residing within the specified limits, if there are good reasons why this is not possible. Students should discuss this first with their College, or with their department if they have no college, as they will need support from both the College (where applicable) and department for the Proctors to consider approving a request.

 

For postgraduate research students only, a distinction needs to be made between students who are not able to study in-person in Oxford for COVID-19 related reasons, and those who are not able to study in-person in Oxford for other reasons. Students in the former category should apply to the relevant board as described in the section above whilst students in the latter category should apply to the Proctor’s Office using the dispensation form below. Students who require dispensation to live a greater distance than 25 miles away from Carfax Tower, but who commute into Oxford, should read the section on living outside University residence limits and apply to the Proctor’s Office using the dispensation form below.

 

A residency limits application form should be submitted to the Proctors’ Office, detailing the support for the request from both the College (where applicable) and department, along with any supporting evidence. 

The University’s expectation is that most students will be in residence for each term (unless a blanket dispensation is granted, such as for Hilary term 2021), and that residency dispensation will only be requested if there has been a significant change in circumstances which prevents a student from attending university and living in Oxford as expected. Nevertheless, it is recognised that there is a need to consider individual student circumstances in a sensitive and supportive manner. Additional advice has therefore been provided on how applications to reside outside the University limits will be managed during the pandemic.

 

The Proctors will consider applications on the additional grounds of: 

Applications on the following grounds will not normally be considered:

For more information on these matters please visit the Oxford students coronavirus website. Applications should be made by submitting the regular residency limits application form.

 

For the 2021/22 academic year COVID-19 related reasons constitute acceptable grounds for boards to grant a student permission not to reside in Oxford. If students are unable to return to Oxford and cannot fulfil the residency requirement in their time remaining on course, and if this application for dispensation from the residence requirements is for educational reasons, they should apply using the online form available via Student Self-Service. If the application is for pastoral reasons they should apply for dispensation from residency from the Proctors (application process above).