The Seminar's experience over the years suggests that its applicants are remarkably self-selecting. Students who apply to the Seminar tend to be serious about their academic work, eager and mature enough to focus on their studies during the summer, and adventurous enough to travel and seek new experiences. The majority of students who attend the Seminar are currently enrolled undergraduates at colleges and universities around the United States, but current enrollment is not a requirement for admission. Older students and international students who are proficient in English are also encouraged to apply. Graduate students may also join the Seminar and they should contact the Seminar Director for more information.
Applications must be made online through the International Programs Office. The online application will walk you through the application process.
To apply, follow this link!
You will need the following supporting material:
- An official transcript of all college courses completed during the past two years.
- A letter of recommendation, preferably but not necessarily, from an academic person in the discipline an applicant wishes to study. Confidential letters are not required, but, if the letter is confidential, it should be in a sealed, signed envelope sent directly to the program from the recommender.
Supporting material should be submitted to:
Prof. Jenny Adams
Department of English
Bartlett Hall, Room 252C
University of Massachusetts
Amherst MA 01003-0515
Phone: (413) 545-0644
Fax: (815) 550-1415
E-mail: oxford@english.umass.edu
The review of applications will be done on a rolling basis, beginning November 1, 2011. Completed applications (i.e., both online and paper materials received) will be reviewed and decisions made within two weeks of completion. Only 50 candidates can be accepted, and acceptances will be based primarily upon the academic profiles of the applicants: college courses completed to date, grades received in courses related to the subjects an applicant wishes to study at Oxford, letters of recommendation, and applicants' personal statements of interests. A waiting list will be established to fill any vacancies caused by withdrawals, should any occur.
Candidates who are accepted will be required to pay an initial non-refundable deposit of $500 within two weeks of acceptance. A second non-refundable deposit of $1000 will be due on March 1.
The university will issue final bills for the Seminar in mid-May. Applicants must pay this bill by June 1 or make arrangements with the university's International Programs Office for an installment payment plan. Students cannot be assigned rooms at Trinity College until their bills are settled. Students who opt for an installment plan should know that grades and academic credits earned at the Seminar will be withheld until their full bill is settled.
Statement of Non-discrimination
The Oxford Summer Seminar complies with the provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act, subject to the capacity of Trinity College, the host institution, to accommodate students with physical disabilities. As a University of Massachusetts program, discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, disability or handicap, political belief or affiliation, or veteran status is prohibited in any aspect of the admission of students.
Although it has never proved necessary, the Seminar reserves the right to expel a student whose conduct is grossly incompatible with the Seminar's tradition of academic honesty and civil, considerate behavior.
