The University of Oxford offers various financial aids, including scholarships that help cover living expenses. Students without visa restrictions can also seek employment within the university to support themselves.
Oxford is one of the world’s great cities. Its rich culture, built
on education, art, music and literature, makes it a wonderful
destination for visitors.
The character and appeal of Oxford are formed by one other
important aspect of its culture – fabulous restaurants. From
the relaxed café scene in Jericho, to cosmopolitan dining in
East Oxford, the city now boasts an outstanding restaurant
sector that serves all tastes and budgets. And whilst there is
no shortage of sophisticated dining destinations in the
bustling city-centre, you could escape the city boundaries
and visit a gastro-pub in an idyllic rural location.
Oxford also offers much for those whose interest in food and
drink extends beyond restaurant dining. Through Oxford
Gastronomica, a specialist centre for the study of food, drink
and culture, you can achieve culinary enlightenment by
attending public events, following educational programmes
and interacting with leading food writers, broadcasters and
chefs.
TRANSPORTATION: Many Oxford streets are now closed to traffic and parking is severely limited and driving in central Oxford is heavy, the one-way system is very confusing, the streets are often very narrow with restrictions, and parking is very expensive. Visitors are encouraged to use the Park and Ride bus services. The university promotes walking, cycling and public transport use. The preferred mode of transport for the university student is the bicycle and like Amsterdam, Copenhagen or Beijing, there are hundreds of them. Most trains into Oxford allow bicycles to be carried for free. Bike parking is available everywhere.
TRAIN: A direct service operates between Oxford and London Paddington (approximately every 30 minutes), and between Oxford and Birmingham New Street via Banbury and Coventry. Other services operate from the north via Birmingham New Street; from the South via Reading; and from the west via Didcot or Reading.
BUS: Local urban buses are mostly operated by the Oxford Bus Company and by Stagecoach. The main hubs for local buses are the rail station and St Aldates. If you are in town a while, there is also a rechargable smartcard that gives discount on bus fares. Frequent and comfortable coach services run from several convenient bus stops. (Which is best for daily visitors, as it it right in the middle of the majority of University Colleges). There is also an X5 bus between Oxford and Cambridge, taking approximately 3 h 20 min, as well as buses to Bicester and Banbury run by Stagecoach.
HOUSING CONDITIONS: Undergraduate students must live in Oxford, but there is no need to look for accommodation before you arrive. All colleges provide rooms for first-year students, and will make all of the arrangements for you. Your college may send you details of your room after places are confirmed in August, or they may simply give you the keys when you arrive. Most college rooms are single study-bedrooms, and you may have your own bathroom. Some colleges have ‘sets’ where two students share a study-living room, but you have your own bedroom. All rooms are furnished; some have an internal telephone and internet points. Your room may be on the main site or nearby. If you do have to ‘live out’ of college, or you prefer to, you can share a house with friends or rent a room in a family home. The University Accommodation Office will be able to help you with your search.
All college rooms are either in the city centre or very close to it. Most private accommodation is also within a 15-minute walk or short cycle ride of the centre. In Oxford, there is no need to spend money on bus fares, as you would in larger cities.
CUISINE: Oxford is packed with excellent eateries, and the choice is huge.
LANDSCAPE: Oxford is a very green city, with several parks and nature walks within the ring road: University Parks, Mesopotamia, Rock Edge Nature Reserve, Lye Valley, South Parks, C. S. Lewis Nature Reserve, Shotover Nature Reserve, Port Meadow, Cutteslowe Park.
NEGATIVE STEREOTYPES: The University of Oxford is surrounded by myths and is supposedly attended by a bunch of stereotypical students. Myth one: “Oxford is for white, middle-class, independently educated students”. Myth two: “Arrogant Oxford Snob”. All is a common mistake. Oxford city centre has many shops, several theatres, and an ice rink. Some Places of interest: Ashmolean Museum, Bodleian Library, Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford, The Headington Shark, Modern Art Oxford, Museum of the History of Science, Oxford Botanic Garden, Oxford University Museum of Natural History, Pitt Rivers Museum, Sheldonian Theatre, St. Mary The Virgin Church.
CLIMATE: Oxford has a maritime temperate climate. Precipitation is uniformly distributed throughout the year and is provided mostly by weather systems that arrive from the Atlantic. The lowest temperature ever recorded in Oxford was 16.6 °C. The highest ever recorded is 35.6 °C (96 °F).
POSITIVE STEREOTYPES: Oxford is known by education, publishing and a large number of information technology and science-based businesses. The harmonious architecture of Oxford's university buildings. Oxford is one of the most diverse small cities in Britain, many bars, cafes, restaurants, clubs, ethnic shops and fast food outlets.
POPULATION: The city is the county town of Oxfordshire , and forms a district within the county. It has a population of just under 165,000, of whom 153,900 live within the district boundary.
ABOUT THE UNIVERSITY
CLUBS AND ACTIVITIES: With more than 400 groups to choose from, your time at Oxford will never be dull. There are so many - not just for music and sports, but literature, politics, performing arts, media, faiths, cultural groups, opportunities for volunteering and more - that it may be a challenge to decide which to join. Whatever your level of expertise, you can become involved in any club or society that interests you. If a society or team does not exist, you may find support for setting one up. The annual Freshers’ Fair at the start of the first term is an ideal opportunity to find out what is available.
INTERESTING PROGRAMS: Computer science, business school and music.
LOCATION: Is located in Oxford, England. Oxford is about 60 miles (90 kms) northwest of London and has excellent road and national rail links.
TYPE OF UNIVERSITY: Oxford is ranked first in Politics, Physiological Sciences, English, Fine Art, Business Studies, Middle Eastern and African Studies, Music, Philosophy, and also Education and Linguistics.
STUDENTS: There are over 21,000 students at Oxford, including 11,752 undergraduates and 9,621 postgraduates, and the third part of the students are from other countries.
PROGRAMS: Humanities: American Institute, Drawing and Fine Art, English Language and Literature, History , Linguistics, Philology & Phonetics, Medieval and Modern Languages, Music, Oriental Studies, Philosophy, Theology, Voltaire Foundation. Mathematical, Physical & Life Sciences: Begbroke Science Park, Chemistry, Computer Science, Earth Sciences, Engineering Science, Life Sciences Interface, Materials, Physics, Plant Sciences, Statistics, Zoology. Medical Sciences: Anaesthetics, Biochemistry, Cardiovascular Medicine, Clinical Medicine, Clinical Neurology, Clinical Neurosciences, Experimental Psychology, Human Genetics, Medical Oncology, Medicine, Molecular Medicine, Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Oncology, Ophthalmology, Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences, Paediatrics, Pathology, Pharmacology, Physiology, Anatomy & Genetics, Primary Care Health Sciences, Psychiatry, Public Health, Surgical Sciences. Social Sciences: Anthropology and Museum Ethnography, Archaeology, Blavatnik, Business School, Economics, Education, Geography and the Environment, Interdisciplinary Area Studies, International Development, Law, Politics and International Relations, Social Policy ,Sociology.
FACILITIES AND SERVICES: Museums, libraries, botanic garden, christ church, theatre, parks, full-service residential and catering facility.
FINANCIAL AIDS
The cost of living in the university depends on the scholarship, most of these offer the amount for spending money and you can access to a work in the university, if you don`t have limitations with the visa.
APPLICATION PROCESS
WRITTEN WORK: Written work is a piece of academic writing, usually an academic essay, which should include referencing and/or a bibliography where appropriate.
TRANSCRIPT: You should submit a detailed record of your higher education up to the present, including programs of study taken and grades achieved. This should be produced for you as an official document by the institution where you studied, and then visibly and indelibly certified by the issuing institution.
If your official transcript is not in English, you must submit both (i) the original official document issued by the your institution, and (ii) a translation into English certified by a professional translator or by the issuing body of the original transcript.
CV/RÉSUMÉ: This should include a summary of your recent achievements, including details of qualifications, publications and any experience relevant to your application.
STATEMENT OF PURPOSE/RESEARCH PROPOSAL: All applicants must provide a statement regarding their proposed study/research at Oxford. If you are applying for a taught programme, i.e. any PGDip, PGCert or Master’s (incl. BPhil, BCL and MJur) other than the MSt programmes in Legal Research and Socio-Legal Research, you should submit a brief statement – around one page in length - explaining your motivation for applying to graduate study at Oxford, in which you may wish to consider the following:
• What relevant academic, research, or practical experience do you have?
• Why are you applying to this particular programme of study?
• Which areas of study within the subject interest you?
Your department may provide specific guidance on the length and/or content of this statement; if department- or course-specific guidance is provided on the departmental website, you should follow this carefully.
If you are applying to a research programme, i.e. DPhil, MSc by research or MSt in research methods, including the MSt in Legal Research, you should supply a statement detailing your research plans, often termed a ‘research proposal’. This should be approximately two pages in length, unless the department states otherwise; the level of detail required varies considerably between different subject areas at research level, and you should check the relevant page of the Course Guide and the department’s website for further information
The statement must be entirely your own original work except where clearly indicated, i.e. fully-referenced supporting quotations from academic works.
Please note that your statement does not count towards any written work that you may have to submit for the purposes of your application.