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Join Oriel as a visiting student

Your Studies at Oriel

Teaching at Oriel is a mixture of tutorials, classes, and lectures delivered by Oriel Fellows, other academic staff in the College and sometimes, where appropriate, specialists from other Oxford colleges. The tutorial system provides personalised instruction – individual tutorials, work in pairs or in small groups. You will be taught among a first or second year group. During your year at Oriel, you will face stimulating academic challenges that will allow you to deepen your knowledge of your subject while discovering new academic approaches and schools of thought.

The Oxford Undergraduate Handbooks describe each of the courses taught at the university and will allow you to familiarise yourself with the papers related to the course you are considering, and how your year at Oriel links into your home institution’s curriculum.

The year at Oxford is made up of three terms, each eight weeks long. The workload is likely to vary considerably from one week to the other, which will help you improve your organisational skills. The vacations (around Christmas and Easter) allow for enough time to get some well-deserved rest, discover Oxford and the UK, and to prepare for the next term.

 

After a Year

It is important to note that the Visiting Students Programme does not offer a degree qualification from the University of Oxford. Although you will not be taking University examinations, you are expected to take Collections (internal College examinations) which will help your tutors assess your progress and attainment. Your tutors will write termly reports assessing your work, and will be happy to provide any further information required by your home institution for your transfer of credits. We also warmly encourage former visiting students to consider applying for a postgraduate degree at the University of Oxford.

The Application process
How to apply

While we have partnerships with several universities, we accept applications from students of all institutions. We ask that you check with your academic advisors before applying to ensure that our programme is appropriate for your studies.

You should submit your application in full by 1 April 2025.

You will be required to submit the following as a part of your application:

  1. Completed Application Form
  2. A 500-word personal statement (saved as a separate PDF), outlining your academic and personal goals, and your reasons for applying to the Visiting Students Programme at Oriel College
  3. A copy of your University transcript (no less than 3.7 GPA or equivalent)
  4. Two samples of written work, relevant to the subjects that you are applying to study
  5. English Language Proficiency Certificate (if required, please see the Application Form for more information)
  6. Passport page (including photo and passport number)

We also require two academic letters of recommendation. These should be submitted directly by the referee to the College by email to visiting.students@oriel.ox.ac.uk.

For full information about the papers studied in each course, please read the Undergraduate Handbooks on the University’s website.

If you have any questions about our programme or your application, please email visiting.students@oriel.ox.ac.uk.

We will be reviewing applications in April and hope to have outcomes available by the end of the month. Late applications may be accepted for review, dependent on programme capacity.

Tuition fees

For the 2025/2026 academic year, the general tuition fee for Visiting Students £35,310 for the full academic year. For some subjects, additional fees may be required for lab-based courses. These fees are approximately £12,250 for the full academic year but vary depending on the specific subject that the student is studying.

Information regarding accommodation and meal costs are available here:

English language requirements

The English language reuirements for Visiting Students at Oriel is in line with the University of Oxford’s guidance. All teaching is carried out in English (with the exception of some language-specific teaching) and tutors must be convinced that you have sufficient fluency in written and spoken English to cope with your course from the start.

Depending on the course, applicants need to show either a standard or higher level of ability in English. Only the following courses accept the standard level: Computer Science, Mathematics, Mathematics and Computer Science, Mathematics and Statistics.

All other courses require the higher level. Details of standard and higher level score requirements across a range of different tests (IELTS, TOEFL, CAE, CPE etc) can be found on the University of Oxford website.

Exemptions from this requirement will be considered for applicants who have:

  • Studied the International Baccalaureate programme, if it is taught in English
  • Studied the Singapore Integrated Programme (SIPCAL)
  • Been educated full-time in the medium of the English language throughout the two most recent years before the date of your application deadline, and who remain in full-time education conducted in the English language until the end of the school year in their home country.

If you require a student visa, the University will vouch for your English language ability on your CAS (Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies) provided you have achieved the required results in one of the English language tests accepted by the University or you have been granted an English language test waiver by your college. When submitting your student visa application, you will not be required to provide additional evidence of your English language ability.

Pre-arrival information

Official guidance concerning the visa requirements to study in the UK can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/student-visa. We are happy to help with any questions concerning Student Visa applications (please contact: visiting.students@oriel.ox.ac.uk).

Spending a year abroad comes with its challenges, sometimes very mundane – opening a bank account, getting used to the public transport system or getting a new phone number. Do not hesitate to get in touch via the email above if you have any practical questions for us as you prepare for your arrival in Oxford.

Accommodation and meals

Oriel offers Visiting Students accommodation for the full length of their three terms in Oxford. More information about College accommodation can be found on our accommodation pages.

Meals in Hall are an important part of Oxford life and tradition, and of Oriel’s community-building. You are more than welcome to join in as much as you want and enjoy our recently-refurbished Hall. The menu is healthy, and we are able to accommodate specific dietary restrictions and allergies. More information about food at Oriel can be found within our Living at Oriel pages.

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Further Information

Fees and funding

More about life at Oriel

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion