Recognised Students
The Classics Faculty welcomes visiting postgraduate students
Every year we welcome several postgraduate research students based at overseas institutions to Oxford to undertake research in Classics for a period of between one and three terms.
The Faculty is one of the largest Classics departments in the world, with around 60 postholders, as well as a large number of Faculty members based in colleges, libraries and the nearby Ashmolean Museum, and more than 900 students.
As a Recognised Student, you will meet with your Academic Advisor at least twice a term to discuss your work and academic progress. You will be entitled to use the libraries, computing services and other University facilities and to attend lectures and seminars. You will have the opportunity to engage with a wide variety of research projects based in the Faculty and to take part in the Faculty's flourishing programme of academic and social events.
Recognised Students are not formally affiliated to an Oxford college and do not receive an official qualification or accreditation for their studies at Oxford; however, we can provide you with a letter confirming that you have spent a period of enrolment as a Recognised Student at Oxford.
Recognised Student status is open to postgraduate research students currently enrolled on a degree course (normally a PhD or equivalent) at another institution. The status is open to citizens of any country.
We regret that Recognised Student status is not available to anyone who has previously matriculated as an undergraduate or postgraduate student at the University of Oxford.
Admission as a Recognised Student in Classics is subject to the approval of the Ancient History Graduate Studies Committee or the Classical Languages & Literature Graduate Studies Committee.
As a Recognised Student, you will be assigned an Academic Advisor, who will meet with you at least twice per term.
Your Academic Advisor’s role will be to give general advice about your research topic, rather than to provide systematic instruction such as reading and commenting on written work, as you are expected to be sufficiently well advanced in your studies to undertake research largely unsupervised. Your Academic Advisor will discuss your work as a colleague rather than as a teacher. Your Academic Advisor will write a report on your academic progress on the
University’s Graduate Supervision Reporting system (GSR) once a term, and you will be asked to contribute to this during weeks 7 to 9 each term.
In addition, you will be entitled to access the following facilities and services:
- Access to the Ioannou Centre building at 66 St Giles’ during opening hours, usually 07:00 – 23:00 daily (the Faculty Administration Offices are normally open Monday – Friday, 09:00 – 17:00). The Ioannou Centre's facilities include a small number of work stations, computers and printers, a reading room and common room and a limited number of storage lockers.
- Attendance at the induction sessions for new graduates at the start of Michaelmas Term.
- Opportunity to meet and take part in social activities with Faculty members and students.
- Attendance at most lectures, seminars and classes given by members of the Classics Faculty at the Ioannou Centre and the Examination Schools, High Street, as well as those held in colleges and other departments (at the discretion of the college or department concerned).
- Use of the Bodleian Libraries, including the Art, Archaeology & Ancient World Library.
- Oxford IT and email accounts.
- Subscription to a mailing list for graduate students: to receive emails about events and activities relevant to graduate students and early career researchers in Classics.
- Access to a wide range of student services throughout the University, such as the Careers Service, Disability Advisory Service, sports facilities etc.
Recognised students are normally required to pay a tuition fee on a termly basis, unless you are attending Oxford as part of an established exchange programme with your home university.
The annual tuition fee for Recognised Students is published on the University website at
http://www.ox.ac.uk/students/fees-funding/fees/visiting-recognised.
The fee for each term of study is one third of the quoted annual fee.
You may come to Oxford for a period of one, two or three terms. University term dates are published at https://www.ox.ac.uk/about/facts-and-figures/dates-of-term. We regret that it is not possible to hold Recognised Student status for a period shorter than one term. You may wish to consider Academic Visitor status if you plan to come to Oxford for a shorter visit, but please note that Academic Visitors are not usually able to attend lectures (other than public lectures) or to make use of the full range of student services.
Before making your formal application to the University, you should contact the Classics Faculty to obtain the agreement in principle of a member of academic staff to act as your Academic Advisor.
We strongly recommend that you contact us at least four months before the start of your visit, to allow sufficient time to complete the application process, satisfy any offer conditions and obtain a Student Visa (if required).
Advisory deadlines for submitting your formal University application are published in the guidance
notes on the Graduate Admissions website at https://www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/graduate/courses/other-options-for-graduates?wssl=1.
1. Please contact the Classics Faculty well in advance of the recommended application deadline (see above) to register your interest in applying for Recognised Student status. Please include a copy of your curriculum vitae or résumé and an outline of your proposed study at Oxford. Please also specify the name of your preferred Academic Advisor. Details of senior Faculty members, their research interests and contact information may be found on our website.
2. You are strongly encouraged to make direct contact with your preferred Academic Advisor at an early stage, to obtain his or her agreement to act as your advisor.
3. The Faculty will contact you to inform you whether it is able to support your application for admission as a Recognised Student. You should then complete and submit your formal application to the Graduate Admissions Office. The University application form is available to download at https://www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/graduate/courses/other-options-for-graduates?wssl=1.
Please note that an application fee is payable via the University’s online store.
The following supporting materials should be submitted together with your completed form:
- academic transcripts of your previous university degrees.
- a statement of between 500 and 1,000 words outlining the proposed subject of your research.
- two letters of reference from senior faculty members at your current university.
- (if required*) an English language test certificate awarded within the last two years with scores at the higher level set by the University.
*Please see the Graduate Admissions website for details of English language requirements.
Your application and supporting materials should be sent to the following address:
Graduate Admissions Office
University Offices
Wellington Square
Oxford
OX1 2JD
United Kingdom
Outcome of your application
We will contact you as soon as possible by email to let you know the outcome of your application.
If your admission is formally approved, you will receive an offer letter from the Faculty of Classics, confirming your Academic Advisor and specifying the terms for which you have been admitted. In some cases you may be required to meet one or more academic conditions before your place as a Recognised Student is confirmed (for example, you may be asked to submit a certificate of English language proficiency). You will also be asked to complete a Criminal Records Declaration.
Once you have satisfied any offer conditions, we will send you a University Card form, which should be completed and returned by email to graduate@classics.ox.ac.uk before you arrive at Oxford.
Visas and immigration
If you are a non-UK/Irish national, you may need to apply for a visa to study in the UK before travelling.
For visits lasting three terms, you will normally need to apply for a Student Visa. For more information please see https://www.ox.ac.uk/students/visa/before/studentvisa. For visits lasting only one or two terms (i.e. less than six months), you have the choice of whether to apply for a Student Visa or to enter the UK via the Visitor route. For guidance on which is the best option for you, please see https://www.ox.ac.uk/students/visa/before/visitors. If you have any queries about the visa process, please contact the Student Information and Advisory Service’s immigration advisors for advice: student.immigration@admin.ox.ac.uk.
Payment of fees
Your tuition fees may be paid in termly instalments, or if you are coming to Oxford for two or three terms, you may pay the full amount upfront. The tuition fee for each term must be paid no more than 14 days after the start of full term. The Classics finance team will send you instructions on how to pay the fee. Please let us know in good time if you would like to arrange for your fee to be paid by a sponsor rather than yourself.
Students who are attending Oxford as part of a formal exchange agreement between the Classics Faculty at Oxford and their home university are not usually required to pay tuition fees.
University card
Once we have received your signed University card form, a University card will be produced for you. You will need this card in order to gain swipecard access to the Ioannou Centre and access to libraries and other University facilities. Your University card will be available for collection from the Classics Faculty when you arrive in Oxford.
Registration
Before the start of term, you will receive an email with instructions on how to complete online registration. You should also arrange an appointment with us to collect your University card and complete the final steps in the enrolment process. If you are a non-UK/Irish national, please bring your passport with you, as the University is required to keep a scan of your passport/visa on record for the duration of your visit.
IT access and Oxford email
On arrival in Oxford, you will receive a letter providing information about IT access together with usernames and passwords. If you have any problems with activating your IT access and Oxford email on arrival, please email it-support@humanities.ox.ac.uk.
Induction
If you are starting in Michaelmas (Autumn) Term, you are very welcome to attend the induction sessions held by the Classics Faculty for new graduate students, which take place on the Monday and Tuesday preceding the start of full term. If you are starting in Hilary (Spring) or Trinity (Summer) Terms, no induction sessions are available, but you would be welcome to contact the Faculty’s Academic Administration Team (email: graduate@classics.ox.ac.uk) if you have any general enquiries.
We regret that the University and colleges are usually unable to provide accommodation for Recognised Students.
Advice on seeking accommodation in the private sector can be found on the University website. In particular, the Oxford Students' Union publishes a guide to "living out" which you may find helpful.
Other useful sources of information about accommodation include:
There is also a very useful student-run Facebook group for graduate student housing (OxGradHousing): www.facebook.com/groups/160632823948859/.
Contact us
Email enquiries about recognised student status: graduate@classics.ox.ac.uk.
