Why Choose Us?
We welcome graduate students from across the world, who join a very dynamic and diverse multi-disciplinary postgraduate community, known as our MCR (Middle Common Room). The MCR is a thriving community of around 240 graduate students and is a lively hub of academic and social activity, hosting a variety of events, opportunities for sharing research ideas, and the chance to interact with established scholars.
As a full-time or part-time graduate we will provide you with the following support to enrich your time in Oxford:
- The Dean of Graduates who has overall responsibility for the academic progress and wellbeing of its graduates.
- A College Adviser, a Fellow of the College or senior academic in a relevant field associated with the College, who can support you in your work and who will meet you from time to time, often over lunch or dinner.
- Each term there are MCR dinners, talks and research events, given by a mix of current graduates, Fellows and visitors.
- High-quality accommodation options are available for full-time graduates during the first year of your programme, and wherever you live you are welcome to use the full range of facilities in College.
- Each year we offer full-time graduates a range of scholarships at Masters and DPhil levels, some endowed by donors, others in partnership with Departments or the University. In addition, both full-time and part-time graduate students are eligible for a range of grants and prizes towards research, field trips, attendance at conferences, purchase of books, or hosting a research event.
- Each student meets with the Master, the Dean of Graduates and their College Adviser at least once each year for an Academic Review. Should any problems arise during your studies in Oxford then the College is well placed to offer support and advice.
Your college at Oxford is your home while you’re studying. We wish to reflect and support the widest diversity of talent: whatever your background, we think you will find your place and feel at home in our community.
Pembroke College Tour
Teaching and Learning
Graduate teaching and learning is somewhat different at Oxford compared to other universities. As a graduate student, much of your teaching and supervision will come from your department or faculty. Within College you will have a College Adviser, normally a College Fellow in a relevant discipline, who will support your studies and monitor your progress.
Your department is the centre of your academic life. You might have lectures, seminars, and discussion groups with other students there, it will be where you will find your labs and study spaces to conduct research, and it’s also where your supervisor will be based. Your department may also organise social and networking events that you can take part in and will provide welfare support throughout your studies.
Like departments, colleges are communities of academics, support staff and students. However, colleges also bring individuals from different departments together to create small interdisciplinary communities and provide a shared social space (known as the graduate common room or MCR) that extends beyond your subject.
- Applicants must first have been accepted by a Department or Faculty of the University of Oxford before any college may consider them.
- Applications are considered for any of the courses in which the College offers admission. Please consult the relevant course listing for details.
- Applications are usually considered by academic staff in the relevant subject area and the Tutor for Graduates.
- Preference will normally be given to applicants whose area of study overlaps with the academic interests of the College's academic staff.
- The College aims to admit a certain number of graduate students each year spread across the range of subjects in which it accepts graduate students, and this will determine the number of offers which can be made to applicants. Where there are more applicants than offers which can be made, the relative academic merit and potential of the applicants may be taken into account. It may not be possible to make offers to applicants whose applications are received late in the admissions round, when places are full.
- The possession of competitively-won funding may be taken into account as an indicator of the applicant's academic merit and potential.
- Please note that any offer of a place will be subject to satisfactory completion of the financial declaration form that will be sent to the applicant as part of the offer of a place. Please consult this guidance for more details.
- Preference may be given to current or past students of the College who meet the selection criteria described above.
I chose Pembroke as a postgraduate student for two main reasons. First, so many of its Fellows were engaged in the sort of research I wanted to pursue myself, and there are opportunities to get involved in discussions of their work.
Pembroke feels like home because of the great people you will meet there. The postgraduate community at the college (aka MCR) is incredibly active and goes above and beyond to put on events not only at the start but throughout your degree.
I recommend attending many of the events in freshers’ week – that is the best and easiest way to meet people. You’ll then always find a friendly face at the MCR bar throughout the rest of your time at Pembroke.