Liberal Arts Programme

• Semester programmes

• A challenging option

• Small classes

• Live and study in Oxford

Why not choose Oxford for your study abroad experience?

Established for over 30 years our Liberal Arts programme is designed to enable visiting undergraduates and gap year students to have a comprehensive study abroad experience while earning 15 to 18 units of transferable credit.

Every year, students from many different nationalities come here to gain access to a first-class education and an exceptional cultural experience.

When you join the Liberal Arts programme, you can expect:

  • the very best teaching that meets your academic requirements with transferable credits across a wide range of disciplines
  • to be intellectually challenged while receiving the individual support you require
  • small seminar classes of 3-12 students
  • one-to-one tutorials with your tutor
  • to study alongside a genuinely international community of students
  • active collaborative learning, directed to instil critical thinking and independent thought
  • support and guidance to make full use of the rich resources and opportunities which our Oxford location provides
  • a rich and varied programme of extra-curricular activities and excursions allowing you to engage with a genuinely international and diverse community
  • to take the opportunity to explore Oxford and the UK with new friends
  • travelling to Europe on weekends and during breaks

Students are advised to select 5 courses: each course carries 3 units of credit. They can choose 4 seminar courses taught in small classes (maximum 12 students) and 1 tutorial class. Tutorial classes are similar to the Oxford and Cambridge tutorial method of teaching. Students are taught individually (occasionally in pairs). The tutorial class is a weekly meeting of the student with a tutor; the student is expected to be fully prepared to discuss and debate the assigned readings or topic. The tutorial enables students to develop further their independent study skills.

A wide range of courses is available within the following disciplines:

Art History Business and Economics Communication Studies
Education English History
Interdisciplinary Language Courses Liberal Studies
Mathematics Philosophy Political Science
Psychology Sociology Theatre Arts
Theology & Religious Studies Visual Arts

Learn actively, engage fully and experience a ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ opportunity to study abroad in one of the most celebrated academic cities in the world, Oxford!

Contact the Department
We are sure you will have questions about our courses, about what it is like to study here with us, about who else will be here and how to get here. We hope you will find the answers to your questions in this website but we also encourage you to get in touch with us.
Louis Jobin
Client Relations Coordinator
Tel: +44 1865 517184
louis.jobin@stclares.ac.uk
Manuela Williams
Admissions Registrar
Tel: +44 1865 517706
manuela.williams@stclares.ac.uk

Day in Bournemouth

This trip to Bournemouth proves that we do have good weather in the UK! Our adult students spent the day at the seaside with, as you can see, hundreds of others. Sitting on the beach or on the esplanade, our students had a wonderful time. Further...

University Foundation Course – Class of 2017

It only seems like yesterday that 28 students from all over the world joined the St Clare’s International College to study on our University Foundation Course. And yet the time has come to say goodbye to them all as they complete the foundation course and head off for...

Go Karting in Oxford

Our students always enjoy their time racing at the local track Karting Oxford. It might start off fairly slowly but by the end of the day all the drivers are racing to win. With just one driver they don't need to remember which side the steering wheel is and what side...

Programme Dates
  • Liberal Arts Programme – you can choose a 14 week semester system during the academic year. Autumn semester from early September to mid-December, with a one-week break mid-semester. Spring semester from early January to mid-May, with a two-week break around Easter, and a week in February
  • Education Studies Programme – this is offered as a full 14 week semester during the academic year OR as an intensive 4 week summer course in May / June.
  • Summer Academic Programme – this is a 4 week course in May / June for students interested in combining academic study, and gaining credits, with a summer visit to Oxford
Programme Dates
Autumn Semester 2017 Sunday 3 September – Saturday 16
December 2017
Spring Semester 2018 Sunday 7 January – Friday 5 May 2018
Summer Education Studies Programme 2018 end May – end June
Summer Academic Programme 2018 end May – end June

Autumn Semester 2017

Arrival date Sunday 3 September
Induction Monday 4 September
Semester break Monday 23 October – Friday 27 October
Students return Sunday 30 October
Classes end Friday 15 December
Departure date Saturday 16 December

Spring Semester 2018

Arrival date Sunday 7 January
Induction Monday 8 January
Mid Semester Break Saturday 10 – Sunday 18 February
Easter Break Saturday 24 March – Sunday 8 April
Classes resume Monday 9 April
Classes end Friday 4 May
Departure date Saturday 5 May
Programme Fees
Tuition Fees
Autumn Semester 2017 14 weeks UK £10,568
Spring Semester 2018 14 weeks UK £10,568
Summer Academic Programme 2018 4 weeks + 3 credit courses – UK £ to be confirmed
+ two 3 credit courses – UK £ to be confirmed
Summer Education Studies Programme 2018 4 weeks UK £ to be confirmed

Accommodation fees per semester

Twin Standard Twin Superior Single Standard Single Superior
Autumn Semester 2017 £3435 £4170 £4425 £5430
Spring Semester 2018 £3435 £4170 £4425 £5430
Homestay Standard Homestay Superior
Autumn Semester 2017 £3435 £4530
Spring Semester 2018 £3435 £4530
Lunch – Monday-Friday £44 per week

Optional college weekend trips / theatre visits / excursions, etc.

  • Day excursions at weekends – £20 to £25 (though some are free of charge)
  • Theatre tickets and transport – £15 to £40
  • Weekend trip with overnight stay (2 nights) – £70 to £300
  • Additional sports and other activities
  • Allow – £10 to £15 per week
  • Lunch if paying cash – £8.00
  • Stationery / book purchase (loan of books is included in fees)
  • General spending money – allow around £70 per week
  • Remember, key deposit, police registration (for students from countries outside the EU) and book purchase all need to be paid for in the first week

What the Accommodation Fees include

College houses

  • Supervised accommodation from the day of arrival to the morning after the last day of the course; bed linen and towels; room cleaning (weekdays); heating and lighting.
  • Accommodation fees include your stay in your house during the mid semester breaks but not the two week spring break.
  • If you have chosen to include meals you are entitled to lunch Monday to Friday (excluding the semester breaks)

Homestay

  • Fees include accommodation as a guest with a local host (appraised and inspected regularly by our Student Services Officer), single room, bed linen and towels, laundry facilities, breakfast and dinner every day (lunches can be bought in college Monday to Friday) and support provided by the Welfare and Accommodation Officer in college. Some of our hosts offer a single superior option (ensuite facilities).
What is it like to live here?

Living in Oxford, a city of culture and learning dating back to medieval times, will be an experience you will never forget.

Our campus is the opposite of your student experience at your own university. Often when our students leave they explain with enthusiasm that although it was very different when they first arrived they soon embraced this difference and said that it made them all the more appreciative of their time here.

We offer you the chance to live with other students from around the world not just with other American students from universities like your own. We have 4 houses exclusively for our adults students all an easy walk to the International College at the Bardwell Road Campus. These stylish Victorian and Edwardian homes are located in Summertown, the most elegant part of the city.

Students clearly value living and socialising with students from around the world. Our students enjoy the fact that they do not live in houses with just American students; they can be sharing a room with someone from Italy or Poland, Brazil or Belgium or making dinner for students visiting from other houses. This is all the more enriching and is the whole ethos of our study abroad programme.

Have a look at our college houses – you could live here!

Admissions

If you are attending one of our affiliate organisations or if you attend another US university, please visit the Study Abroad Office at your home institution to discuss your plans.

If you are applying independently, please contact our advisors to discuss your plans and request an application pack. We have two application deadlines: the end of July (for the autumn semester), and mid-November (for the spring semester). If you are a late applicant contact us to discuss availability and eligibility.

Application for admission

Prospective students need to apply by downloading and completing this application form. The St Clare’s Liberal Arts application form consists of a number of sections:

  • Personal details
  • Educational details
  • Academic registration
  • Accommodation options
  • Deposit and balance of fees payment

Please make sure you complete the application form in full before returning it by mail or email.

Please read our Terms & Conditions
It is very important that you read carefully through all of the course choices detailed in the Courses Information section as well as the Tutorial options and Language Tutorials before completing the course registration section.

Be sure to include your first choice for courses (4 Cores and 1 Tutorial/Language Tutorial); your alternative choices (at least 3 Cores and 1 Tutorial/language Tutorial); and if a course is an absolute requirement (e.g. for next semester graduation) please indicate this clearly.

Before completing the accommodation options section of the application form, please consult the accommodation section of this site.

Students applying for the Liberal Arts Programme at St Clare’s need to send the following with their application:

  • a full transcript of courses you have taken to date, with grades and grade-point averages
  • a written reference from a current or former professor / teacher who knows you well
  • a personal essay giving your reasons for wishing to study at St Clare’s and outlining what contribution you hope to make to the College
  • evidence of your level of English if you are a non-native speaker (eg. a copy of an English Language examination certificate such as TOEFL, Cambridge examinations, IELTS, etc.)
  • The Academic Statement signed by the appropriate authority (US students only)
  • Registration fee and enrolment deposit
  • Two recent photographs

Acceptance

Once your application form with all the necessary documents, fees and deposits have been received your application will be considered by the Director of Studies (Academic). All your course choices and supporting academic references will be checked.

If you are offered a place on the programme you will receive an official Letter of Acceptance and a Study Certificate confirming your programme and the dates. You will also receive a comprehensive information pack giving details of orientation, arrival procedures, trips and excursions, campus facilities and city information.

Please note: it is your responsibility to ensure that your current institution authorises appropriate credit transfer for the courses you have taken.

This is a once in a life-time opportunity

Challenge yourself in the glorious city of Oxford

Find out more
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St Clare's, Oxford