When you Arrive

There will be a lot of new faces, places, and information to take in once you arrive. This page provides some information to make sure you are prepared for your first few days and weeks at St Antony’s, and know what to expect.

How to get here

Oxford is approximately 60 miles from London and has excellent road and rail links. The University has a useful guide for travelling to Oxford from the UK’s major airports and train stations. Please note that the city of Oxford has very restricted parking and it is advised that you do not keep a car here in Oxford. St Antony’s College is unable to provide parking to any students or their visitors.

The College is located in leafy North Oxford and is approximately a 30 minute walk from the train station and a 20 minute walk from Gloucester Green bus station. We would recommend catching a taxi if you have luggage.

Finding your way around Oxford

Oxford is a small city with a range of historic buildings, museums, and a thriving cultural scene. You are encouraged to use Week 0 to explore the city and find all the buildings that you may need during your first term in Oxford, including your department and relevant libraries. The University provides detailed maps and guides to help you find your way around Oxford, including a map of University buildings, a map of Colleges and Halls, and a searchable map of the city.

Welcome Week & College Enrolment

Further information about College Enrolment will be published here soon.  Please note that before you arrive at the College to register in person, you must first:

  1. Verify your details on student self-service.
  2. If you have a visa, collect your BRP card if relevant. You will either have a physical or digital BRP card. You must bring your BRP card and passport with you to College registration or we will be unable to register you.
  3. Complete the College Registration Form, which you will receive by email in early September.

Once you arrive, you will need to attend an in-person enrolment session at College to collect your University Card. Times and dates for these in-person enrolment sessions will be published shortly.

During Week 0 (7 – 11 October 2024) you will be invited to induction events organised by your department and the College. Most of the events will be compulsory and it is important that you attend these. The College will put together a schedule of events throughout the week (to be published once details are confirmed), and you can expect to see a range of social events run by the GCR as well. The College induction day is on Wednesday 9 October, and this will include informative sessions familiarising you with the College, various members of staff, and procedures, and will be followed by the Welcome Dinner that evening in the Dining Hall.

All new students at the University of Oxford need to attend a matriculation ceremony. This is when you will officially become a member of the University. You can find information about Matriculation here.

Details of the ceremony will be published closer to the time. Generally, the day includes informal celebrations in College, a group photo of this year’s new students, and processing down to the Sheldonian Theatre for the ceremony together.

Early October 2024    First ‘battels’ statement (of fees and charges due in your first term) emailed to you
5 – 6 October 2024 Arrival Weekend
7 – 11 October 2024 Welcome Week (details to be confirmed)
From mid-September 2024 New Student Registration at College
Saturday 19 October 2024 Final deadline to pay the balance of your first College battels statement
Saturday 19 October 2024 Matriculation ceremony – details to be confirmed

Living in College Accommodation?

Early arrival must be agreed with the Accommodation Office, and typically you must have good reason to need to move in early. The Accommodation Office will send out a form for you to register for early arrival in late July.

You are expected to arrive in time for 0th week (welcome week), which runs from 7 October 2024 until 11 October 2024. If you are living in College accommodation you may arrive from 28 September 2024 onwards unless your course starts in September (MBA & MPP students, for example) or you are attending a Pre-Sessional English Language course at the University. Please note that prior consent by the Accommodation Team MUST be given for you to arrive early, as your room might not be available before 28 September.

Most students will arrive during welcome weekend (5 – 6 October 2024). Please do let the Academic Office know if you plan to arrive after welcome weekend. If you will be moving into College accommodation later than the start date on your tenancy agreement, please contact the accommodation team as soon as possible. Note that you will be charged for College accommodation from the date your tenancy starts on your accommodation contract, even if you arrive later.

To check in to College accommodation, please report to the Porter’s Lodge on arrival (marked building 1 on the College Map). The Lodge is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, but please note that you will only be able to check in after 2pm on the day that your tenancy starts. The Duty Porter will give you your key and explain how to find your room. Make sure you inform the Accommodation team of your arrival date to ensure your room is ready.

A bedding pack can be ordered in advance to be delivered to your room on arrival. Previously this cost £35 for a single pack or £60 for a double pack (price TBC for 2024/25).  To order this, fill in the form which will be shared by email in late July. The charge will be added to your first battels statement. If you miss the deadline for the form, you will not be able to request bedding on the day you arrive. Many shops in Oxford also offer deals to students for suitable bedding if you miss completing the form.

It is not possible for the College to receive parcels and post prior to your arrival due to limited space. Please schedule items to be delivered after you arrive at the College to ensure that you are able to collect them promptly. Our postal address is:

St Antony’s College
62 Woodstock Road
Oxford
OX2 6JF
UK

This will ensure that your post will arrive at the Lodge (which is open 24/7) and be delivered to your individual post box (pigeonhole).

Fees & making a payment

In late September / early October, you will receive your first ‘battels’ statement to your email address (please check your personal and St Antony’s College email account) which will show what you need to pay to the College. Unfortunately, it is not possible for the College to issue a statement prior to early October, but you can calculate the total amount you will owe by using the following table:

Item Charge
Total course fees for year 1 of your course

Exceptions: MBA students pay their course fees direct to the Said Business School and will therefore not have course fees listed on their statement. MPP students who have paid a deposit will have this amount deducted from the total course fees for year 1.

See offer pack.
College community charge Compulsory annual charge for all students to use College facilities, to keep meal charges as low as possible and to support the GCR. £99
College deposit Refundable when your student status at St Antony’s College ends. Exceptions: Current St Antony’s College students starting a new course at the College will not have a College deposit listed. Their previous deposit will be held until they complete their second course. £250
First payment of rent (if you apply for, and accept, an offer of College accommodation). Charge to be confirmed – normally 13 weeks if the tenancy starts on the standard move in date (05/Oct/2024)

Battels statements will be issued based on the information provided in your financial declaration. If the way in which you will be paying your fees has changed since you submitted your financial declaration (e.g. if you have since had a student loan approved or you have secured a scholarship), you must send an updated financial declaration form, checklist and relevant supporting documentation for the new funding source(s) to the Academic and Admissions Officer as soon as possible.

If you have informed us that we must invoice your sponsor directly to collect course fees on your behalf, the amount to be paid by your sponsor will not appear on your battels statement.

If you are a student funded by US federal loans, you will receive a statement showing the fees and charges due. You do not need to make a payment unless your loan is insufficient to cover the full amount of your fees as they will automatically be deducted from your loan instalments in equal parts through the year. You will need to have opened a UK bank account in order to be able to receive these payments.

If you have a loan, scholarship or other award which is paid in instalments, it may be possible to make separate arrangements to pay your fees in instalments. Please contact the Accounts Team if you would like to enquire about this. The final decision will rest with the College Bursar. It is not possible to pay in instalments for self or family funded students.

You need to pay the full balance on your first battels statement by Saturday 19 October 2024. You do not need to have paid prior to arrival in order to move into College accommodation (unless you will be moving into College accommodation after the final payment deadline above). You can make a payment to the College by bank transfer, credit/debit card (not American Express or Diners). Further instructions are available here.

The University of Oxford website has a useful guide for new students wishing to open a UK bank account. Banks will require a signed and stamped enrolment certificate, which you can print from your self-service account once you have fully enrolled (including in-person enrolment). The Academic Office is happy to sign and stamp these certificates.

Health, NHS, & College Doctor

St Antony’s College has an agreement with the Summertown Health Centre to provide NHS medical services to our students and we therefore strongly encourage you to register as a new patient before you arrive in Oxford.

Once you have completed the online application form, you do not need to do anything else to complete registration with the College Doctor unless you require any vaccinations. We recommend that you make the College doctor or nurse aware of any disabilities or long term health conditions at an early stage so that they can support you most effectively – medical information will always be treated in confidence.

If you are already registered with a GP in Oxford and do not want to re-register then you can stay with your current GP. However, you should be aware that this may mean your GP will charge for medical certificates, if needed.

The University offers guidance on the vaccinations you should have before arriving in Oxford. In addition, the College Nurse recommends that you are up to date with Diptheria, Tetanus and Polio vaccinations before arriving. It is extremely important that you arrange to receive vaccinations early enough to allow sufficient time to acquire immunity before you arrive in Oxford. Students from some countries will also be required to receive tuberculosis screening before starting their course – relevant countries are listed here for information.

Please note that a small number of medicines and treatments are not available through the NHS service. Please contact the GP for up to date information about this.

Pre-Sessional English Course

The Oxford University Language Centre offers a Pre-Sessional English Course which may be helpful for new International students. The course focuses on written and spoken academic communication and is designed to help its students succeed in an English speaking University environment.

Term Dates 2024/25

TermFromTo
Michaelmas 2024Sunday 13 OctoberSaturday 7 December
Hilary 2025Sunday 19 JanuarySaturday 15 March
Trinity 2025Sunday 27 AprilSaturday 21 June