FAQs: General

The Oxford Certificate Programmes at Worcester College (University of Oxford) are academic study abroad programme offered at High School, University and Executive level. Participants at all levels can participate in academic courses on various subjects and experience teaching in an authentic Oxford college setting. In addition to the academic content, the programmes offer a range of activities within Worcester College, the city of Oxford, and further afield.

The Oxford Certificate Programmes offer the opportunity for participants to study abroad at Worcester College (University of Oxford). These deeply interesting and academically rigorous education courses take place in an Oxford college setting. The Programmes aim to offer an enriching and holistic experience of living and learning in Oxford, with a curated range of extra-curricular and immersion activities in Oxford and further afield.

All Oxford Certificate Programmes take place in the historic city of Oxford. All teaching takes place at Worcester College (University of Oxford) or in University of Oxford premises. Participants will live in our college student accommodation. Both teaching and accommodation is therefore set in an oasis of verdant and peaceful gardens, which together with sports grounds are still set in the centre of a dynamic, bustling city not far from London and all major airports.

At just over 300 years old, Worcester College is one of the University’s ‘newer’ colleges. However, it was founded on the site of a much older Benedictine monastery and academic hall and many of the buildings date from the 13th century.

The buildings are diverse, especially in the main ‘quadrangle’: looking through one of the arches of the cloisters, you will see an impressive eighteenth century building in the neoclassical style to your right, and to your left a row or medieval buildings known as ‘the cottages’ which are some of the oldest residential buildings in Oxford.

Worcester has a proud history up to the present day, with many distinguished alumni, as well as world famous members of the faculty. Worcester has around 400 undergraduate and 200 postgraduate students studying across all sciences and humanities degrees. You can find out more about the college on its main website: https://www.worc.ox.ac.uk/

The Oxford Certificate Programmes are composed and organised by a dedicated team who work closely with both academics and all other college staff at Worcester to make your programme not only the highest quality, but also suitable for your intellectual, cultural and social sense of discovery. We are welcoming and inclusive of all, both internally and towards anyone we might meet, and encourage all participants in their own academic journeys of curiosity.

All members of the team running our programmes, as well as all teaching staff, have undergone a criminal background check (in accordance with the standards set by the UK Government and specifically the Disclosure and Barring Service, DBS), in addition to other training in safeguarding for high school programmes in particular. More details of this can be found in our Health, Safety, Safeguarding and Wellbeing section below. Our friendly team are always on hand to answer any questions that participants may have, and in the first place we encourage you to do so at our main email address here: enquiries.cpc@worc.ox.ac.uk

All academics involved in teaching on the Oxford Certificate Programmes at Worcester College (University of Oxford) are members of the University of Oxford or University of Cambridge. We endeavour to involve academics who are both at the top of their field after years of experience, or who are at the cutting edge of the latest ideas and developments, but who share enthusiasm for teaching and bringing new minds into their chosen field in Oxford.

The Oxford Certificate Programmes are welcoming of all nationalities, cultures and creeds from around the world, and it is a privilege to bring such diversity to Oxford.

Our University Programmes are open to all university students from around the world aged 18+.

Our High School Programmes are open to all students aged 15 or above at the commencement day of the programme.

All teaching, whether in class, assignments, assesments and readings will all be in English, and likewise all cultural and social events will be in English, and so it is very important that all participants are confident in their academic abilities in English. Naturally, we also encourage our courses as a way to improve your spoken English in Oxford, in many ways home to the language, but our courses are certainly a way to further refine students already comfortable at understanding and expressing yourself in the language, rather than to those still on that journey. If you are unsure if your English is sufficient, please feel free to reach out to us at enquiries.cpc@worc.ox.ac.uk.

For each session, participants will choose one subject or a group of subjects in the case of a two-week course. All participants will also choose a second choice in case their first choice is oversubscribed. Though there will be evening talks and other events that will allow participants to explore other academic fields, each participant will take classes only in the subject or group of subject they have selected.

All students who have successfully participated in the programme will receive a Certificate of Attendance and Achievement issued by Worcester College (University of Oxford). These are usually presented to students at the official Certificate Ceremony at the end of the programme.

University Students will also receive an Academic Transcript with a summary of the programme content and academic performance issued by Worcester College (University of Oxford).

Though the academic content of our programmes takes centre stage, we believe any holistic learning model should include cultural and social activities so that all participants can embrace everything Oxford and the United Kingdom has to offer outside of the classroom as well.

Each programme has bespoke activities that complements the academic content. More details can be found in the course description section of our website, but a selection of activities and excursions from previous programmers include:

– Excursions to Cambridge, University and City; Blenheim Palace; London; Bath; the Cotswolds area of outstanding natural beauty

– The sites and sounds of Oxford, including an evensong at Christ Church Cathedral; a visit to the Oxford’s Botanical Garden; Magdalen College Deer park; the Bodleian Library; a theatrical production in Oxford’s Castle and Prison; Oxford’s Historic Saxon Tower, the University Church and Tower; and world-famous museums and Galleries such as the Ashmolean, Modern Art Oxford, the History of Science and the Natural History and Pitt-Rivers Museums.

– Social and Cultural Activities such as Scottish Dancing’ theatrical workshops; arts and crafts; debating; sports, from yoga and tennis to frisbee and yoga

Oxford is approximately 60 miles (90km) north-west of London and has excellent road and national rail links. Regular coach services connect Oxford with London and also with Heathrow, Gatwick, Birmingham and Luton airports.

For High School Programmes, the Programme Team offers a Meet/Greet/Transfer Service from Heathrow Airport. Students are met at Arrivals in Heathrow Airport and accompanied on transport directly to Worcester College. There is a small additional fee for this service.

Here is some further information about transport links:

By plane

You should book a flight to one of London or Birmingham’s airports: Heathrow, Gatwick, Luton, Stansted, London City, or Birmingham International. The closest airport to Oxford is Heathrow, which is approximately 1 hour by coach.

At Heathrow and Gatwick airports there are buses to Oxford operating 24 hours a day. For information regarding fares, timetables, and stops, please visit: http://airline.oxfordbus.co.uk/

By train

A convenient way of reaching Oxford is by train. A complete map of stations and train times is available on the National Rail website: http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/

By coach

If you are travelling direct from central London, the Oxford Tube is a 24/7 coach service linking Oxford and London directly. Services start from the Victoria coach station but also pick up passengers near Victoria train station and at two or three other stops in London. Tickets can be purchased in advance or on the day with cash or card. Full details are available on the Oxford Tube website: https://www.oxfordtube.com