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.