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Visiting Student Programme

Students walking on College grounds.

Welcome to Mansfield

Mansfield College has a long-established Visiting Student Programme with a high academic reputation. It offers students both full membership of the College and an official status within the University of Oxford.

We aim to admit around 40 VSP students per year, from universities around the world – including Ivy League institutions and universities in Hong Kong, Singapore, and Australia. Students study arts, humanities, and social science subjects for two or three terms in one year. (Places are occasionally available for study in Hilary and Trinity terms only: Spring Semester).

Contact the Director of the Visiting Student Programme, Helen Lacey, with any queries: helen.lacey@mansfield.ox.ac.uk.

Our Subjects

This Programme aims to replicate as closely as possible the Oxford system of undergraduate teaching, based on the weekly tutorials, at which one to three students meet with a tutor for a period of concentrated study.

Subjects
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"As Director of the Visiting Student Programme, it is a great pleasure to welcome new Visiting Students to Mansfield each year. My role is to liaise with universities around the world and to help international students consider whether they would like to study at Mansfield College as part of their degree. I welcome enquiries about the programme and I am happy to email prospective students or discuss any queries you may have via Microsoft Teams."

Dr Helen Lacey, Director of the Visiting Student Programme

Meet some of our Visiting Students

I found how open and receptive everyone here at Mansfield is, and that they will always be there to make you feel a part of the community. I connected with people through sports. Joining the football (soccer) team helped me get to know people that I would then bump into at the café or in the chapel for lunch. I was also able to connect more with Mansfield by reaching out to the JCR, and little by little I built some really strong friendships!

Jhonny Serranno, Visiting Student studying Economics

I love the structure of tutorials here. Often, I find they feel more like a fascinating conversation about your subject. You can really go in-depth with your tutor and customise your learning to your interests. I’ve met so many people through societies and other extracurriculars. Some of my favorite activities include serving as VSP Officer on Mansfield’s JCR bench and contributing to The Isis magazine as a non-fiction editor. There’s really a community for everyone within Oxford.

Vanessa Abraham, Visiting Student studying English

Visiting students have access to all College facilities

The College’s main library is a wonderful wood-panelled room which contains core texts for all courses, with separate libraries devoted to Law, PPE and Theology. All four libraries are open to students twenty-four hours a day, and there are fully-networked computers available in the Main Library for use by students. Mansfield also shares excellent sports facilities with Merton College, including tennis and squash courts.

You’ll be members of Mansfield’s JCR

This is our Junior Common Room for the undergraduate student body – to which a visiting-student rep is elected every year to represent visiting student interests on the JCR Bench (the College’s student organising committee).

Students in deck chairs on the quad.

All visiting students are guaranteed college accommodation

To gain a fuller experience of living in the UK, we’ll aim to integrate your housing with other Mansfield students to help you immerse in the College’s academic, cultural, and social life. You’ll have your own study-bedroom, while sharing kitchen and bathroom facilities.

College life at Mansfield

Explore our College life section to see what life is like at Mansfield, from food and drink to societies, sport, student reps, and welfare.

College Life
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Our growing partnerships

In recent years, our Visiting Students have included undergraduates from: Barnard College, Bates College, Boston College, Brown University, College of the Holy Cross, Cornell University, Dickinson College, Franklin & Marshall College, Georgetown University, Harvard University, Haverford College, Nankai University, Northeastern University, Northwestern University, Santa Clara University, Shandong University, Swarthmore College, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (Shenzhen), Trinity College, Tsinghua University, Universität Leipzig, University of Iowa, University of Pennsylvania, Washington and Lee University, Wellesley College, Wheaton College, and William Jewell College.

 

Ready to apply?

Our Visiting Students come from a wide range of backgrounds and we value the diverse contributions and skills they bring to our college community during their time at Mansfield. The Oxford academic year runs from October to June, comprising three eight-week terms with a range of fees.

How to apply Fees & Finance