International students - Overview

Oxford University is a diverse place, and fully one third of the student community comes from 138 countries around the world. The Department welcomes international students on many of our programmes.

We have many courses to suit those from overseas. Short modular courses, summer schools and day and weekend classes may be experienced during a short visit to the UK. Online courses enable the student to enjoy an Oxford experience from anywhere in the world. And we also offer full and part-time programmes for those seeking a longer course of study, including courses which result in Oxford qualifications.

The following offerings are very well suited for participants from overseas - please click on the course type below to jump to that portion of the page:

• Online courses
• Summer programmes
• Oxford qualifications
• Programmes designed for foreign nationals
• Visa requirements

The Department has over 50 accredited online courses that are open to students around the world. Courses typically run for ten weeks, though a few are shorter. Subjects include creative writing, art history, economics, history, statistics and many others. There are a few programmes that result in diplomas, certificates and degrees as well; some of these may require travel to Oxford for personal tuition. Go to Online Courses

The department offer a full range of summer schools, and all of these are open to international participants.

• Our academic summer schools are intensive programmes, often lasting about three weeks, and taught at graduate level. Students in these programmes typically have a university degree, or a minimum of two years at university. Most summer schools focus on a single subject, such as Creative Writing and International Human Rights Law, and others are designed for specific groups, such as the English Language Teachers Summer Seminar. Participants attend lectures and group seminars. These programmes are not accredited, but students receive a detailed certificate of participation for their home institutions. Read more about our Academic Summer Schools
• The Oxford University Summer School for Adults (OUSSA) is a series of week-long, accredited summer courses, designed for people from all educational backgrounds. No prior university experience is required. Participants study in small groups and meet individually with tutors. In addition to their studies they have the opportunity to enjoy a rich social programme. See OUSSA courses
• The 'Oxford Experience' is a series of one-week seminar courses, conducted over five weeks in summer. There are over 50 subjects overall, with ten or so offered each week. The programme is aimed at non-specialists - those who enjoy learning for its own sake. The programme is held in historic Christ Church; participants live and study in the college and take all their meals in the Great Hall. Go to the Oxford Experience

We arrange numerous summer programmes which are offered in association with overseas universities and organisations for the benefit of their student, alumni and membership communities. Participants include UC Berkeley, Duke University, the California Judges Association, Ohio State University College of Law and many others. All enrolment for these courses is handled by the overseas partner. A list of participating institutions can be viewed on our joint programmes page.

Some of our Oxford award programmes are specially designed for students who live at a distance from Oxford. Course structures do vary, however; some will be more suited to students within a 50 mile range of Oxford, while others will be accessible to students from around the world. In these, the majority of work can be done in the student's home country, interspersed with visits to Oxford at intervals for individual consultation with course advisors and tutors.

The best thing to do will be to search our award programmes for the subject you're interested in, and see which of the programmes might be suited to your situation. There are a few examples below of programmes which are very popular with our international students.

Our Master's in Creative Writing is a good example of a course which recruits students from around the world: it's structured as a series of residences and retreats. Students on this programme typically come from across Europe, North America, India and elsewhere.

Many programmes, such as the Master's in Literature and Arts have online components which take place in 'virtual learning environments' (VLEs) in which students engage in on-line group discussions with their lecturers and other members of the course.

Graduate Studies Prospectus: comprehensive information about postgraduate study at the University of Oxford can be found on the Graduate Studies Prospectus website, at http://www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/postgraduate_courses/index.html

New for 2012 is our Certificate of Higher Education. This course is highly flexible, and allows students to accumulate course credit from our short courses (held both in Oxford and online) and summer schools, with one required face-to-face component in Oxford. The Certificate is the equivalent of one year of full time education at university level. With a choice of nine subject areas to specialise in (see image to the right) this programme lets students study their topic in depth, and the award can be the starting point for more university level qualifications.

There are two undergraduate award programmes which are held entirely online: our Undergraduate Advanced Diploma in Data and Systems Analysis and our Undergraduate Advanced Diploma in Local History.

Programmes designed for foreign nationals

The Foundations of Diplomacy course and the Advanced Diploma in British and European Studies are two full-time programmes geared specifically to the needs of foreign nationals. The Leadership Programmes for China are short, two-three week programmes.

• Foundations of Diplomacy is designed for those who wish to develop skills in practical diplomacy, as well as profit from an intensive programme of English language training at Oxford University. More information on the Foundations of Diplomacy
• The highly successful Advanced Diploma in British and European Studies programme is aimed at those who are preparing for postgraduate study in the UK, and offers participants a solid grounding in British and European civilisation and intensive English language training. Go to the British and European Studies page
• Leadership Programmes for China has more than seven years' experience in delivering training programmes for senior Chinese personnel. The programmes specialise in the fields of government, media, entrepreneurship and higher education, but other collaborations may be considered. Since 2001, over 1000 senior Chinese officials have been trained in Oxford, with many of them earning promotion subsequent to their Oxford training. Go to the Leaderships Programmes for China page

Visa Requirements

We welcome students of any nationality and residency to our courses, but applicants should note that there are UK visa requirements that may restrict the possibilities to study. Please see our international student visa page for more information.