Two doorways with plants growing up the walls
Beaumont Buildings
(Image credit: Liam Peck / Graduate Photography Competition)

Residence requirements

The University's residence requirements apply to all full-time students. This usually means that students are required to live both within a certain distance from the University (called limits in the regulations) and for a set period of time during their studies (called terms in the regulations). Minimum attendance requirements may also apply for part-time courses.

Full-time students

The University requires its full-time students to live within twenty-five miles from Carfax Tower in Oxford’s City Centre, to be able to enter for their examination(s) and qualify for their degree. The Examination Regulations for your course set out the minimum number of terms you must live in Oxford.

If you're a full-time graduate student and not living in college-owned accommodation, you must live within the residence limits, unless you are given special permission to work away from Oxford, or it is a formal requirement of your course.

In exceptional circumstances, you can apply to live beyond the residence limits. You're strongly advised to obtain permission to do so before agreeing to rent or buy accommodation. Applicants and offer-holders should discuss this first with their college, or with their department if they have no college, as they will need support from both the college (where applicable) and department before a request can be considered.

If you live outside the residence limits without permission, you will not fulfil the requirements for your degree and may not be allowed to enter for your examination(s).

Part-time students

If you're studying for a part-time course, you're exempt from the residence limits that apply to full-time students. However, you should be aware that our part-time courses may have a requirement to attend in Oxford for a minimum number of days each year.

If you have a query about the attendance requirements for a particular part-time course, you can contact the academic department using the details provided on the the relevant course page under the 'Course-related enquiries' heading.

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