International Students
We have included on this page additional information which is applicable to international students only. By 'international' in this context, we mean any student who is not from the UK.
Arrival in Oxford
When planning your arrival, please take a look at University's travel guidance. There are also orientation events, details of which can be found on the Orientation webpage. The University also arranges pre-sessional English courses. You may also find the University's Bank Guide for European and International Students useful for opening a bank account.
Student Visas
If you require a visa to study in the UK and have not already begun the application process, please read through the University's Visa and Immigration Information. Visas can take a long time to come through, and so if you require one you should apply at the earliest opportunity to allow plenty of time for your application to be processed. If you have been provided with a 30-day travel visa, you must collect your Biometric Residence Permit (BRP), usually from St Aldates Post Office on arrival in the UK. You will have received information about this from the UK Home Office in your country of application. Please collect your BRP promptly so that you can enrol; we will need to scan both your passport and the BRP in the Academic Office before you can be enrolled.
Health & Welfare
Students who require a visa (those not from the UK or Ireland, or those who do not hold indefinite leave to remain or pre-settled or settled status) and are studying full time for more than 6 months will need to pay the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS - see below) as part of a visa application to access the NHS services free of charge.
The UKCISA website has a comprehensive explanation of how the UK health system works as this may be different from your home country. It explains your first points of contact, for example a GP (doctor) surgery or health centre, Accident and Emergency department and how and why you might be sent or referred to a hospital. For non-urgent medical help or advice you can call 111 24 hours a day and for emergency medical help call 999 24 hours a day.
Please ensure that you register with the College GP so they have your medical history on file.
If you are not exempt from hospital charges, or only partially exempt for other reasons, you are advised to take out appropriate private healthcare insurance for the length of your stay in the UK.
Immigration Health Surcharge
If you are coming to the UK for more than 6 months you will be required to pay the IHS as part of your Student visa application. Any dependants will also need to pay this. The IHS must be paid even if you have your own private medical insurance and do not intend to use the NHS. Paying the IHS means that you will have access to the UK's National Health Service on the same basis as other UK residents. Please see the guidance here about a possible reimbursement of the IHS for EU and Swiss students.
