• Deadlines

    Submit your application by December 31, 2023 to be considered for Seminar scholarships.

    Deadlines

    Submit your application by 2023 to be considered for Seminar scholarships

    Applications will close in 2023

Apply


If you need any help with your application, contact Program Director Philippe Baillargeon at baillargeon@llc.umass.edu.

Application Materials

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 materials:

  • • An unofficial transcript of all college courses. You will upload the transcript to your IPO application.
  • •A recommendation form, preferably but not necessarily, from an academic person in the discipline an applicant wishes to study. This form will be included in your IPO application, where you will enter your recommender’s email address and an official request will be sent to them that they will then fill out electronically. IPO and the Seminar Director will be notified when it is complete.

General Applicants

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. The Seminar uses the University of Massachusetts International Programs Office minimum GPA of 2.5, although anything over a 3.0 will make the applicant more competitive.

Freshmen

Freshmen may apply for the summer after their freshman year, but must demonstrate that they possess the necessary maturity to thrive in the exhiliating, but intense, atmosphere of the Seminar.

Older students and international students

Older students and international students who are proficient in English are also encouraged to apply.

Graduate students

Graduate students may also take the undergraduate classes the Seminar offers, although in this case they will need to arrange for extra assignments to ensure that the class meets graduate level requirements. Graduate students should contact the Seminar Director for more information.

Acceptances

The Oxford Summer Seminar uses two periods of rolling admissions to admit applicants. The first deadline to be considered is November 17, 2023 and the second is March 11, 2024.

Completed applications (i.e., ALL pre-decision materials) will be reviewed after the March 15th, 2024 deadline and decisions will be made within two weeks of completion. Most years 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, especially in courses related to the subjects an applicant wishes to study at Oxford, letter(s) of recommendation, and applicants' personal statements of interests.

If accepted, candidates will need to pay an initial non-refundable deposit of $750. Up to one week of "wiggle room" may be possible, but students will need to contact the director to ask for this (baillargeon@llc.umass.edu), since he will need to request this from International Programs (which has final say).

The university will issue final bills for the Seminar in May. UMass applicants will have the program balance (less the $750 deposit) placed on their Bursar’s Bill on May 2, 2024 (eight weeks before the program starts). Non UMass applicants must pay this bill by the same date. Students cannot be assigned rooms at Keble College until their bills are settled.

Statement of Non-discrimination

The Oxford Summer Seminar complies with the provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act, subject to the capacity of Keble 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.