Visiting Doctoral Students

You are able to apply to come for periods of 3 months, up to a maximum of 9 consecutive months. 

The periods are:

• October - January (application must be received by 01 April)
• January - April (application must be received by 01 September)
• April - July (application must be received by 01 December)

Applications will be decided at the first meeting of the College's Fellowships & Members Committee (FMC) of the term prior to the desired start date. 

Dates outside these periods, including the summer vacation, may be considered on request.

Please note that visits are not normally renewable immediately and an extension would require a full application and will be considered alongside other new applications.

The college fee for Visiting Doctoral Students in 2022-23 is £1,201 per term OR £3,603 per 9-month academic year (October - June), to be pro-rated according to the length of visit. The fee for each visiting period is payable in full no later than 14 days prior to the start of the visiting period.

Please note that this rate will normally increase each year according to the percentage increase in standard student fees.

Visiting Doctoral Students are not eligible for any student funding from Wolfson College, including but not limited to: college bursaries, travel grants, language course grants, or hardship support. 

All applications should be submitted via the online webform: 

Visiting Doctoral Student Scheme Application Form | Wolfson College, Oxford

You will need to upload the following documents to your application:

• Completed application form
• Curriculum vitae
• Supporting statement from Proposer (must be a Governing Body Fellow or Emeritus Fellow at Wolfson College, Oxford)
• Evidence of current enrolment as a doctoral student at another university
• Evidence of current right to study in the UK, including appropriate visa (as applicable)*
• Evidence of sufficient funds to cover expenses whilst in Oxford**

*Wolfson cannot sponsor visiting students for UK student visas. If you are an international student who would ordinarily need a visa to study in the UK and you are not already enrolled at a UK university, please see the UKCISA website for guidance and contact your home university's international study office.

**This would normally be a letter from your bank which confirms that you have sufficient funds to cover your living and transport costs during your proposed visiting period. The letter should be on headed paper and should be written in English.

Applications should be submitted according to the following deadlines:

• 01 April (for a visiting period from October - January of the same year)
• 01 September (for a visiting period from January - April of the following year)
• 01 December (for a visiting period from April - July of the following year)

The data that you have supplied as part of your application will be managed in accordance with our Data Protection Policy, in line with the General Data Protection Regulation. For more information on the College data protection policy please see https://www.wolfson.ox.ac.uk/policies/data-protection-policy.

Should your application be approved, you may apply for accommodation in College. Please note, that College accommodation is limited and so cannot be guaranteed. Priority for accommodation is given to full-time Wolfson students who are enrolled on a degree programme offered by the University of Oxford. More information on College accommodation can be found here: Accommodation | Wolfson College, Oxford.

Oxford has a large selection of privately-rented houses and flats available for short-term and long-term lets. Oxford University Students Union (Oxford SU) provides guidance on living out and can help you if you have questions or concerns about accommodation. Oxford's Daily Info publication also offers guidance on accommodation in Oxford.

Visiting Doctoral Students will become members of Common Room. Members are permitted to purchase lunch and dine in College. They will be charged standard member rates for meals and information about meal prices and subsidies can be found here: https://www.wolfson.ox.ac.uk/food-drink. Common Room members can bring guests for meals; guests are charged full price for all food and drink purchased onsite.

Visiting Doctoral Students can also use the College facilities such as the library and gym. There is an additional cost to join the gym to cover the cost of the compulsory gym induction. Members can also chose to participate in sports and arts activities in College. All members are required to pay a termly Common Room subscription charge; this is in addition to the Visiting Doctoral Student fee.

Visiting Doctoral Students are not permitted to submit applications for partners or family to be considered for associate membership to the College. They are not eligible for membership of Common Room on the basis of their Visiting Doctoral Student status beyond their visiting student period. 

Visiting Doctoral Students are solely affiliated with the Common Room at Wolfson College (and any relevant Wolfson College research cluster) and are not permitted to make use of or granted access to any University facilities. They are not enrolled at the University of Oxford and do not receive any formal qualification, certificate of attendance, or transcript following the end of their visiting student period at Wolfson. As Wolfson Visiting Doctoral Students are not members of the University of Oxford, they do not have access to University resources and facilities.

Access to the Bodleian Libraries must be applied for separately on the grounds of enrolment as a doctoral researcher at a non-Oxford institution. Visiting Doctoral Students will be responsible for obtaining access to the Bodleian Libraries, which is free of charge for UK doctoral students; charges may apply for non-UK students. Online access is available within libraries to e-journals and most databases, but remote access from outside is not permitted. More information can be found at: https://www.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/join-the-libraries/students-at-other-universities