Student Visitor Scheme - rolling applications

The student visitor scheme exists to facilitate links and collaboration with other universities, both in the UK and overseas, and to allow doctoral students the opportunity to work with DPIR's leading academics and professionals.

Academic Mentor

Each Student Visitor will have an Academic Mentor who will play a key role in introducing the Student Visitor to relevant opportunities within DPIR and Oxford. Although the Mentor will not provide formal supervision, they will meet twice termly with the Student Visitor, and provide advice on relevant events and other research activities, as well as introduce the visitor to relevant members of staff.

The Academic Mentor will supply a formal letter of support as part of your application, once you have discussed the objectives of your visit with them.

It is recommended that the prospective applicant consider who in the department might be able to offer you such support and contact them for advice before applying to the Student Visitor Programme. The Academic Mentor is usually a full member of the Department. 

Browse a list of DPIR academic staff.

During your visit

Student Visitors may join the department for a minimum of one term and a maximum of three terms.

We ask all visitors to supply a short biography and outline of their current research for the DPIR website. 

Browse our current student visitor profiles.

In order to improve the DPIR visitor experience, we will ask you to complete a feedback form at the end of your visit.

Visitor Charges

Student Visitors will normally apply for research funding schemes through their home institution in order to fund the cost of their visit. There are two options:

• Shared desk - £1,500 per term/£4,500 per year

  • University card, University email account, access to library services, IT support

• Dedicated Workstation – £2,000 per term/£6,000 per year

  • University card, University email account, access to library services, printing facilities and a workspace (when available), IT support

Please note that if your visit is over 6 months and you need to apply via the Recognised Student route, the fees will be greater than stated here. It is recommended that you consult the University's fees web pages for further information.

How to Apply

Please note that spaces are limited to 10 visiting students per annum pro rata, so please check with our team that there is space before applying by emailing: enquiries@politics.ox.ac.uk.

Your application to the DPIR visitor programme must include:

• A completed student visitor programme application form (see below) 
• A current CV
• A Letter of Support from a full member of the department of Politics and International Relations wiling to act as your Academic Mentor (usually a full member of the Department)
• A letter from your home institution, confirming approval of your proposed visit

Completed applications should be emailed to enquiries@politics.ox.ac.uk.

Applications will be considered by the department's Director's of Graduate Studies (in Politics and International Relations), and relevant DPIR research centre or programme director (if applicable), and will be assessed on suitability of qualifications and experience, proposed contribution to the department's activities, and strength of letter of support from the Academic Mentor. Once we have processed your application, we will write to you confirming the outcome, and if successful, confirm the details of your visit.

Visas

Applicants must email enquiries@politics.ox.ac.uk well in advance of the proposed visit start date (at least three months) in order to discuss visa arrangements. The visa arrangements will depend on the length of your stay:

• Up to six months: In order to visit the UK you will need a letter of support from DPIR, confirming your visit. Please submit your application to the department; if this is successful we will supply the letter of support to facilitate your entry to the UK as a visitor under the Visitor Visa. 
• More than six months: Please submit your application to the department. If accepted by the Department, you will then need to submit an application to the University Recognised Student Scheme in order to then apply for a Student visa. We will supply the necessary letter of support from DPIR, confirming your visit, to facilitate this process. Please note that without the Student Visa you will not be able to enter the UK. You should allow an extra three months in the overall application process for this step. It is recommended that you consult the University website and the UK Government website before applying, as applying for a Student visa requires additional documentation, in particular evidence of English language proficiency from a recognised provider.

ATAS (Academic Technology Approval Scheme)

An additional requirement that has been introduced is to check whether the student visitor has to apply to the ATAS (Academic Technology Approval Scheme) for an ATAS certificate. This applies to those international students who intend to study at postgraduate level in certain sensitive subjects, where an individual’s knowledge could be used to develop military technology, weapons of mass destruction or the means of delivering weapons. An application is made to the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) for an ATAS certificate. Nationals from the EU, EEA, Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, Switzerland, South Korea and the USA will be exempt. Further information can be found at: ATAS Expansion from 21 May 2021 | Staff Immigration (ox.ac.uk).

Please note, this only applies to those subjects that would be considered ‘sensitive’. As such, this would not apply in the case of most Social Science subjects.

COVID-19 Requirements

Go to the UK Government website for more information about tests before you travel.  For more information about the University and Coronavirus, please go to Coronavirus and Oxford University.  

College Association

Colleges provide a hub for social events, interdisciplinary interaction and can provide additional support during your visit. Several Oxford colleges have particular strengths in Politics and International Relations. If you wish to apply for association with a college for the duration of your visit, you will need to contact the relevant college directly as being accepted as a student visitor to the Department does not automatically come with College affiliation Please find a list of colleges here. Please note that there is a separate fee for college association: you will find details on individual college websites.

Terms and Conditions

Visitors who are accepted onto the Department's Visitor Programme will be required to adhere to the University's Statutes and Regulations as described here during their visit and to sign the department's Visitor Agreement which can be downloaded here.