Visiting Students join us each year
Visiting Students
Pembroke has been welcoming Visiting Students to the College since the early 1990s, in one of the longest-running programmes in Oxford. We operate a vibrant, full-year programme where students can enjoy and integrate fully into the College and University life.
Why choose Pembroke?
1. Academically ambitious community with a strong interdisciplinary focus… Our Tutors are committed to developing the full potential of every student. You will receive the same academic experience that has made the Oxford undergraduate education perhaps the most respected and renowned in the world.
2. Visiting Students are fully integrated into undergraduate student life... Students are accommodated on the main Pembroke site, and participate in the full range of sporting and social events in the College.
3. A mix of old and new… Our buildings span nearly four centuries of architectural styles, combining historic quads with our modern Rokos Quad.
Academic Life
The system in Oxford is very different to much of the rest of the world, and emphasises the study of one subject (or a specific combination of subjects) in depth, rather than the flexibility you may be used to elsewhere. Teaching is primarily delivered through tutorials, offering an intimate conversational environment within small groups where there is often no right or wrong answer to the work you’ll be discussing.
Choosing a course
Our Visiting Students will study courses and papers with our undergraduates - you'll find a list of courses you can choose from lower on this page. In most cases you'll enter the course at the 2nd year level, though the tutors may advise that you take some 1st-year papers or may allow you to take 3rd-year options. Some bespoke teaching outside the normal course is available in a very limited number of subjects, but this can’t be guaranteed and should not be the expectation when you apply.
For more information on the content of your chosen course, you should reference the relevant course overview or research the information available on the various Department/Faculty websites. The full list of courses available to Visiting Students can be found below.
Making an application
We primarily accept applications from our partner universities and programmes in the US and China. These are: Barnard College, Brown University, Bryn Mawr College, Columbia University, Cornell University, Duke University, Georgetown University, George Washington University, Haverford College, Illinois Wesleyan University, Tufts University, University of Pennsylvania, and the University of Hong Kong, as well as all Chinese institutions that are in partnership with the Oxford Prospects and Global Development Centre. Independent applications from students of other institutions are welcome as long as they meet the criteria below.
The emphasis in Oxford is to study one subject or a specific combination of subjects in depth. This may differ from your current University, which tend to allow greater flexibility in choice from a broad range of courses. Pembroke offers the courses listed below to both undergraduates and visiting students. You are expected to select one course from the list. An outline of each course is available in the undergraduate prospectus on the Oxford university website and on our course pages.
- Arabic (non-native speakers only)
- Arabic and Islamic Studies (non-native speakers only)
- Biochemistry
- Biological Sciences
- Chemistry
- Chinese (non-native speakers only)
- Computer Science
- Economics and Management
- Economics
- English Language and Literature
- English and Modern Languages (French, German, Italian)
- European and Middle Eastern Languages (Arabic and French, German or Italian)
- History
- History and Economics
- History and English
- History and Modern Languages (French, German, Italian)
- History and Politics
- Japanese (non-native speakers only)
- Law (Jurisprudence)
- Mathematics
- Mathematics and Philosophy
- Mathematics and Computer Science
- Modern Languages (French, German, Italian)
- Music
- Philosophy
- Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (or any combination thereof)
- Philosophy and Modern Languages (French, German or Italian)
- Philosophy and Theology
- Physics
- Physics and Philosophy
- Politics
- Psychology (Experimental)
- Psychology and Philosophy
- Theology
- Theology and Arabic
Within the College you will be looked after by the Tutors in the subject you have chosen, who will provide teaching or arrange teaching with specialists in other fields as appropriate.
We ask for applicants to have a minimum of 3.7 GPA or equivalent, as well as strong references and sample work relating to your chosen course. Depending on subject you may also be asked to have already taken relevant courses at your home institution – see below for more information. Your home institution may also have internal criteria to be considered, so you should consult with them before applying.
Yes, although the amount varies by subject. In most cases, especially Maths and other STEM subjects, a strong base of background knowledge is essential. Our courses are based on the UK system, where high school students begin to specialise much earlier than in the US, and are not suitable for anyone looking for a ‘101’-level course. This is also why most Visiting Students will study with our 2nd-year undergraduates, regardless of their year group at home.
In a few cases – such as Philosophy and some languages – we are willing to take students with less formal teaching in the subject if they show talent and aptitude in related courses, although they would invariably be required to begin at a 1st-year level. This is because these subjects are less often taught in UK high schools, and so our tutors are able to teach beginners.
Yes – Pembroke only accepts applications for all three terms. Additionally, we require all our students to remain in Oxford during term time, so if you are successful you should not apply for any summer internships that overlap with our term dates. Our terms are very short – only 8 weeks – so we feel it is important that our students are here for the full period in order to get the benefit of an Oxford education! For more information on the structure of the academic year see here.
Please see here for the term dates for the upcoming academic year.
If you are applying from one of our partner institutions, please contact your Year Abroad office for information as you will need to apply in consultation with them. If you are an independent applicant, please email the Academic Office for an application form and details of the supporting materials to be provided; you must also provide evidence that your home institution supports the application, in the form of an email from your Year Abroad office or similar.
Our deadline for applications for the following academic year is the 31st January - but your home institution may have their own internal deadline, so you should apply in consultation with them. We aim to communicate our decisions by late February although in certain situations this may take longer.
Your first point of contact should be our Academic Office team. Please email them for an application form if it is not provided by your institution.
