Oxford, England

University of Oxford, St. Catherine’s College Partnership

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Program Overview

St. Catherine’s motto, Nov et Vetera, meaning the new and the old, sums up the college’s attitude. Founded in 1962, it is the newest college, but it more than holds its own academically with its older siblings. St. Catherine’s was designed by the famous Danish architect Arne Jacobsen and its modern architecture reflects the college’s contemporary outlook.

St. Catherine’s is a great option for economics, math, and music.

Details at a Glance

Application deadline

Fall: Dec. 15
Spring: Dec. 15
Academic Year: Dec. 15

Minimum GPA

3.75

Credit load

12–36

Housing

Residence Hall/Dormitory

Instruction language

English

Language prerequisites

None

Visa required?

In some cases. Learn More.

Apply Now

Academics

CHART Your Course
Find the classes you need fast with CHART. Our easy-to-use tool shows you classes recently taken by IFSA students.

Because of the individualized nature of the tutorial system, most colleges at Oxford do not have an online class catalog. You can view the list of subjects that have been taken by previous visiting students, visit the St. Catherine’s Visiting Students page.

Students take one primary (major) and one secondary (minor) tutorial every term. Students are not permitted to receive extra credit by taking two primary tutorials in one term. Students will be awarded 8 U.S. semester credit hours for each primary tutorial and 4 U.S. semester credit hours for each secondary tutorial. No credit will be awarded for additional work undertaken even if the University of Oxford approves it.

Students will earn:

  • 12 U.S. semester credit hours for the Fall Term (Michaelmas Term)
  • 24 U.S. semester credit hours for the Spring Term (Hilary Term and Trinity Term)
  • 36 U.S. semester credit hours for the Academic Year (Michaelmas Term, Hillary Term, and Trinity Term)

Science and math students may be required to attend University lectures or to take one or more short tutorials. Regardless of the number of tutorials or lectures required, science students will earn the same number of credits as other students.

Tutorial System
The hallmark of the University of Oxford academics is the tutorial system. The tutorial is typically a one-hour meeting between one or two students and the tutor. Tutorials usually meet once a week or every other week, and at the center of the tutorial is an essay on a topic the tutor previously assigned. The tutor will lead a discussion about the essay topic in an effort to provide new insights. At the end of the tutorial, the tutor will assign a new topic and may offer recommended reading. Tutorials are individually arranged, taking into account the subject to be studied and the tutor’s area of expertise. They are similar to independent study classes, but Oxford students bear even more responsibility for conducting independent research and maintaining good academic progress. The University of Oxford organizes weekly lectures on myriad academic subjects, and all students at the University, regardless of college, are welcome to attend. Lectures are not usually mandatory except for some science subjects, but tutors often recommend them as good supplements to tutorials and research.

Lab & Field Trip Fees
Please review syllabi and course materials when registering for direct-enroll classes. Certain classes may have a one-off lab or field trip fee disclosed in the syllabus or during the first meeting of the class. These fees are not included in your IFSA program fee. You will be responsible for these fees, whether they are billed and paid by IFSA or billed to you.

St. Catherine’s College is unable to offer positions to study abroad students in the Engineering Department.

Your tutorial topics should be limited to no more than two subjects, and those subjects should be related. For instance, the tutors reviewing your application will look more favorably at a tutorial request form that has choices limited to Politics and History Departments. They would not be as impressed with a tutorial request form that lists choices in chemistry, economics, and art history.

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS

Application Deadline
The application deadline is Dec. 15 of the preceding year for Fall Term, Academic Year, and Spring Term for all University of Oxford programs.

Eligibility

  • You must be at least 18 years of age. Students under 18 may be accepted on a case-by-case basis.
  • You must be currently attending or recently graduated from a U.S. or Canadian community college, technical college, two-year college, four-year college, or four-year university.
  • Admission to Oxford colleges is highly competitive. Students typically study abroad at Oxford their junior year, having completed two (2) full-time years of study at their home institution before the start of the Oxford term. Oxford colleges may consider an applicant with just one (1) full-time year of completed study, but those students will be competing with students who have completed greater study in their specific subject area. A student with less than two years of completed study may be limited to first- and second-year classes.

Application Acceptance
This program gives preference to students applying for the Academic Year over students applying for just the Fall Term or the Spring Term.

Recommendation Letters
Your application to this program will require two (2) academic letters of recommendation on home institution letterhead.

 

TRANSCRIPT
Upon completion of your program, IFSA will send an official Butler University transcript to your home university with your coursework converted to the U.S. semester credit hour system. You will also have access to an unofficial transcript in your IFSA Student Portal. The transcript reflects classes taken, credits attempted, and grades earned during your term abroad. This service is included in your study abroad program at no additional cost. See our Transcripts page for more information.

Excursions

Activities and excursions are designed to pull you into the communities you visit and encourage cultural connections of every kind. There’s no extra fee to participate in these optional outings—everything is included in your program fee.

Below are examples from previous terms; outings may be different for your program. We’ll make every effort to run them all, but sometimes things we can’t control, such as local regulations and health protocols, get in the way. As result, we cannot guarantee activities and excursions.

Activities

  • London Pandemics–Past and Present: This event will engage you with both an historic overview and a contemporary look at concepts of community health and global health, with a particular focus on London and the pandemic. You will attend a guest lecture at the IFSA London Flagship, followed by the John Snow Cholera Tour. This tour will take you to the nearby streets of Soho to visit important sites in the story of Dr. Snow and the cholera outbreak in 1854.
  • London Statue Walk: This walking tour includes stops at some of London’s most iconic statues as well as some of its most obscure, weaving in historical, cultural, literary, and political threads as it seeks to put the past into dialogue with the present.
  • Homelessness in London–A Dialogue: This event will explore the realities of homelessness in London from three perspectives. First, you will participate in a dialogue with guest speakers followed by a tour of Central London developed, curated, and delivered by vulnerably housed individuals through Unseen Tours.

Excursions

  • The Uncomfortable Walking Tour: This tour is dedicated to raising awareness about the “uncomfortable” aspects of history. Tours focus on a specific theme and ask questions aimed at provoking new ways of seeing Oxford’s city landscape and history. Students will engage with the politics of memory in the city whilst uncovering histories of empire, class divides and gender discrimination, highlighting how these legacies have left an enduring impact on our modern lives.
  • Visit to Oxford Castle & Prison: Explore the 1,000-year history of Oxford Castle & Prison. You will take a step back in time with costumed tour guides, bringing fascinating stories back to life. Engage with tales of Empress Matilda or the fate of Mary Blandy, one of the prisons’ most famous criminals. You can touch the stones where Oxford University is rumoured to have begun and stand in the birthplace of King Arthur.
  • The Pitt Rivers Museum Tour: Go behind the scenes at one of Oxford’s most popular attractions, famous for its period atmosphere and outstanding collections from many cultures around the world, past and present. Receive a private tour of the museum founded in 1884 by Lieutenant General Augustus Pitt Rivers, who donated approximately 22,000 items to be displayed. The collection has now grown to 500,000 items, many of which have been donated by travellers, scholars, and missionaries from across the world.
  • Cotswolds Villages and Blenheim Palace Day Trip: The Cotswolds are designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The famous picturesque villages of mellow honey-colored stone, gentle hills, peaceful pastures, and winding rivers offer a contrasting backdrop to engage with stories about the bloody battles and violent skirmishes that took place during the English Civil War. Next up is a visit to the UNESCO World Heritage site Blenheim Palace, home to the 12th Duke of Marlborough and birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill.
  • Oxford Regatta Course River Cruise: Explore Oxford University’s famous regatta course on a Thames River sightseeing cruise. Hop aboard your sightseeing vessel in the heart of Oxford and cruise out onto the famous waterway. You’ll learn more about the city’s rich history from a different perspective, while sharing the waters with punts, university boats, rowing eights, and cruisers. The river cruise offers a chance for sightings of native river wildlife along the banks too.

Housing and Meals

Housing

Residence Hall/Dormitory

Meals

Self-Catering

Details

Saint Catherine’s is just northeast of Oxford city center. Students live on the modernist-style college campus in residence halls. Halls are divided into units known as staircases. Each staircase typically houses about 20 students.  

  • Living space. Most students are placed in doubles. Roommates can set them up either as two single bedrooms or as one double bedroom and a shared living room. Roommates share one bathroom, within their suite. Each student has a bed, a desk, chair, and storage. Bed sheets are provided.  
  • Meals. There is no meal plan, but the college dining hall serves lunch and dinner for nominal fees. Give it a try—dining hall meals are a big part of the Oxford experience. Students can also cook for themselves in shared kitchen facilities in their residence halls.   
  • Nearby. Bodleian Library (10-minute walk). Oxford city center (15-minute walk). College grounds border the River Cherwell, The Grove, and The Water Meadow.  

Dates and Fees

Term
Term begins
Term ends
Program costs
Application deadline
Fall 2024
October 2, 2024
December 7, 2024
$28,995
Passed
Academic Year 2024-2025
October 2, 2024
June 21, 2025
$70,125
Passed
Spring 2025
Mid-Jan. 2025
Mid-June 2025
$42,995 (estimated)
Passed
Fall 2025
Late Sept. 2025
Early Dec. 2025
$28,995 (estimated)
Dec. 15, 2024
Academic Year 2025-2026
Late Sept. 2025
Mid-June 2026
$70,125 (estimated)
Dec. 15, 2024
Spring 2026
Mid-Jan. 2026
Mid-June 2026
$42,999 (estimated)
Dec. 15, 2024

Get Started

Kristen Clark

Enrollment Counselor