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Oxford skyline

Oxford

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The Stanford program in Oxford has been running for over 30 years and is still hugely popular with undergraduates wishing to participate in Oxford University life.

The city of Oxford is home to one of the most famous and ancient universities in the world, preserved in traditional education practices and stunning architecture. The city is also the birthplace of many literary works such as, Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials; Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings and Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland as well as being the home of the humanitarian organization Oxfam, and the famous car, the MINI™.

Oxford has something for every student and provides a gateway into the diverse cities, villages and cultures of the United Kingdom. Both London and Birmingham are just an hour away on public transport. While in the UK, the Oxford program aims to foster students’ intellectual development and writing skills through intense, self-motivated work in their tutorials, lectures, and seminar classes. Students are expected to make use of Oxford’s incomparable library resources and to contact Oxford students and faculty, in order to develop a deeper appreciation of British life and culture.

Learn More About BOSP Oxford

Photo: Shelley Gao, the junior dean, Cleo O'brien-Udry '14, Perri Smith '14, punting on the Thames river and feeding the ducks along the way. 

BOSP students in a boat

Scenes from BOSP Oxford: Croquet in Spring Quarter, Cloisters at Magdalen College, Bing Trip Orientation, Meeting Oxford "college parents" at the start of a term, the Stanford House Library.

Student Ambassadors

share their first-hand experiences about the program, what led them to choose the program, and some of the challenges they faced while studying abroad. Dive deeper into 'a day in the life' while abroad, as a particular student experience may help you decide if this program is right for you.

What I Did in Oxford

The city of Oxford sits at the meeting place of the Thames and Cherwell Rivers, about sixty miles northwest of London. The 39 colleges that form a core element of Oxford University dominate its lovely city center. Oxford is the oldest English-language university in the world and has been in existence for more than 8 centuries. A unique aspect of the Montag Center for Overseas Studies in Oxford is the tutorial requirement. All participants are expected to devote a minimum of 6 units of their coursework towards the tutorial, which provides an opportunity for focusing on a particular academic topic in a very intense, in-depth format.