St Catherine’s College runs an extensive visiting student programme. The College welcomes students from across the world and offers them a chance to be part of a world leading institution. Those selected for our Visiting Students Programme enjoy an academically rich experience with each Visiting Student receiving small group (or one to one) teaching in their chosen subject.

Registered Visiting students are formally recognised by the University of Oxford allowing them many of the same privileges available to Undergraduates, such as access to libraries, membership of the Junior Common Room (JCR), and access to societies and sports clubs. More information about the facilities available at St Catherine’s College can be found here.

The University of Oxford does not award a degree or other qualification for time spent as a Visiting Student. However, St Catherine’s College provides written tutorial report transcripts for all courses undertaken and a record of achievement. The home university from which the Visiting Student comes is then able to credit that student appropriately towards the degree it will award.

All junior members are subject to the authority of the College Dean and are required to obey College and University regulations.

Studying in Oxford

St Catherine’s College offers to those joining as Visiting Students the opportunity to choose from the widest variety of tutorial courses offered by any college in Oxford. To provide you with an illustration of what subjects have been taken in the past by registered visiting students please see here. The list continues to grow as our students’ requirements and interests change. Double and triple major applicants can be assured that their academic needs will be accommodated. It would be very useful if those students making applications provide a personal statement or statement of purpose in which they describe what they would like to study and why, whilst they are in Oxford.

The Tutorial System

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Tutors are assigned in advance of our Visiting Students arriving in Oxford. Students meet with a tutor on a regular basis, typically singly or in pairs. Each student is expected to produce written work for every tutorial for which reading lists are provided. Tutorial discussion revolves around or springs from the prepared written work. Students normally take two tutorial courses a term, a primary course of eight tutorials and a secondary course of four tutorials. It is possible to replace the secondary course with an additional primary course extending over two terms. Tutorials are supplemented by lectures. In addition to the College undergraduate library, students have full access to the University’s main research library, the Bodleian, and may have access to departmental/faculty libraries.

Applicants should select subjects according to their own preferences and the requirements of their home universities or colleges.

Lectures

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Lecture lists for all subjects are available on-line from the faculty for applicants to consider. They demonstrate the breadth of subjects taught at Oxford. Visiting Students are welcome to attend all lectures that are open to matriculated undergraduates. This widens the scope of study for each student and provides them with the opportunity to investigate new subjects.

Grades and Credits

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At the end of each term tutors provide reports of the term’s work together with a grade calculated in accordance with normal Oxford standards. St Catherine’s College can forward these reports and grades directly to the student’s home college. St Catherine’s College does not award credits or other formal qualifications. It is the responsibility of students to make proper arrangements in advance of coming to Oxford to ensure that their home colleges award credits for the work done at St Catherine’s. (US colleges normally award one semester credit for each tutorial hour; thus students normally qualify for up to 12 semester credits for each term’s work.)

At the end of the student’s stay with us we give each student an official sealed certificate as a record of their time with us.

Apply to Catz

St Catherine’s College welcomes applications from students who have completed at least two years of college or university who wish to study in Oxford as non-degree students. Michaelmas term runs from early October to mid-December; Hilary term from early January to mid-March; and Trinity term from mid-April to late June. Applications are accepted for one, two or three terms although maximum benefit from study at St Catherine’s clearly accrues to those able to come for the whole year.

Applicants will need to submit:

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  • A completed application form (see below) including their full name, address, date of birth, and the number of years they have attended at university/college.
  • US candidates should include their GPA rating (it is unlikely that a place will be offered to anyone with a current GPA less than 3.7) and, where appropriate, SAT/ACT scores. Candidates from other countries should send an equivalent evaluation.
  • A current college transcript.
  • Two letters of academic recommendation.
  • Two samples of written work (not more than 20 pages).
  • A statement, not exceeding 200 words, of their academic goals and reasons for wishing to study at St Catherine’s College, Oxford.
  • A passport photo and a copy of the applicant’s passport details page.
  • A tutorial preference form on which they can indicate their proposed tutorial choices of study.
  • English Language Proficiency certificate (if applicable). All teaching at Oxford University is carried out in English (with the exception of some language-specific teaching) and tutors must be convinced that you have sufficient fluency in written and spoken English to cope with your course from the start. All non-native English-speaking applicants must satisfy Oxford University requirements. More information about English Language requirements can be found here. We will not make an offer until we have sufficient proof of your English language proficiency.

We welcome applications for the Registered Visiting Student Programme for 2024-2025 . Please use the application form listed below and if you are interested in Computing Science please the other application form.  The deadline for applications for 2024-2025 is Friday, 2nd February 2024.  The application should be sent to visiting.students@stcatz.ox.ac.uk.

Additional fees are applicable for those taking laboratory-based courses.  This includes Computing Science, Chemistry, Biochemistry and Physics. They are £2,525.00 per term for 2024-2025. This will enable Registered Visiting Students to participate in laboratory/practical sessions run by the University.

Registered Visiting Student Fees 2024-2025

Accommodation and Residence 2024-2025

Registered Visiting Student Application Form 2024-2025

Registered Visiting Student Application Form (Computer Science) 2024-2025

If you have any academic questions please contact naomi.freud@stcatz.ox.ac.uk, Fellow and Director of Studies for Visiting Students and if you have any administrative questions please contact helen.alexander@stcatz.ox.ac.uk, Administrator for Visiting Students.

Subjects

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Visiting Students at St Catherine’s College can study a wide range of subjects. Visiting students are encouraged to choose a subject that benefits them academically but is also an area of personal interest. The College would like to give applicants the opportunity to move away from simply choosing a title from a list. Applicants should use their personal statement to describe what they are interested in studying and what they would like to academically achieve here at St Catherine’s. It would also be helpful to know how the subjects or topics the applicant wishes to study fit into their degree (if in fact they do) or whether they are taking the opportunity to study subjects because of their own interests. Either approach is equally valid but applicants are required to make sure that their home university is happy with their choices as applicants may wish to obtain academic credit for them.

To provide you with an illustration of what subjects have been taken in the past by registered visiting students please see here.

Several faculties within Oxford publish their course and option syllabi on-line. These represent a valuable resource for those wanting to find out what might be possible to study and importantly in what terms some subjects may be taught.

Applicants are welcome to contact the Director of Studies by email so that they can correspond directly ahead of their application about subject choices. Pre-agreed Zoom conversations are also possible.

Applicants must choose two subjects that represent their first choices and then offer two alternatives for each term.

Accommodation

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Visiting students are housed in single rooms within the college alongside matriculated students. The Visiting Student fees include accommodation throughout the term and in the week before and after Full Term. The rooms are provided with bedding and bed linen and a regular cleaning service. Each staircase has kitchen facilities which include a hob, fridge, microwave, kettle and small cupboard space. The fees do not cover any meal allowances. The rooms have connections for laptops as well as wireless connection.

Scholarships

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Betty and Donald Keating Scholarship

These scholarships are a tribute to the vision and generosity of Giles Keating (St Catz 1973). They are given in honour of his parents to provide funding to allow academically outstanding students an opportunity to study at St Catherine’s as Registered Visiting Students. The fund targets those students who attend universities that demonstrate academic access to students from all sections of Indian society. The scholarship fund has enabled twenty two students over the last elevent years to study a variety of subjects and to enrich College life with their considerable talents.

Please see the names of all the Keating Scholars who have studied at St Catherine’s.

2012
Ms Mugdha Devalkar St Xavier’s College Neuroscience and Genetics
Mr Joshua Miranda St Xavier’s College Genetics and Human Ecology
Ms Vishkha Sarvaiya H. R. College of Commerce and Economics International Relations
2013
Mr Abaan Momin St Xavier’s College Astronomy and English Literature
Ms Namita Salvi H.R. College of Commerce and Economics Management Studies and International Migration
Mr Kennith Rosario St Xavier’s College English Literature and Journalism
2014
Mr Sagar Abraham-Gonsalves St Xavier’s College History and English Literature
Mr Saurabh Tripathi H.R.College of Commerce and Economics Management Studies and Photography
Ms Vaishnavi Salvi St Xavier’s College International Economics and Philosophy of Science
2015
Ms Rachna Bhutoria H.R. College of Commerce and Economics English Literature, Advertising and Economics
Mr Kashish Saluja St Xavier’s College Philosophy of Ethics and International Relations
Mr Priyesh Sawlani H.R. College of Commerce and Economics Business Management Studies and Photography
Ms Lalita Tangirala St Xavier’s College Journalism, Political Sociology and International Relations
2016
Mr Shubham Pansare St Xavier’s College Economics and Knowledge and Reality
Mr Rahul Ramwani H.R. College of Commerce and Economics Management Studies and Psychology
2017
Ms Kushboo Agarwal H.R. College of Commerce and Economics Women, Gender and Economic Development and Indigenous Peoples, Minorities and Human Rights
Mr Jacob Mathew St Xavier’s College Social Policy and British Administrative Systems
2018
Ms Kawaljeet Kaur Pune University Virology, Practical Bioethics and Photography
2019
Mr Swagat Siby St Xavier’s College International Politics and Security
2022
Ms Kumari Rimjhim Mount Carmel College, Bangalore Economics
2023
Ms Saanchi Janyani H R College of Commerce and Economics Strategic Management, Ethics, Fintech
Ms Khushi Vazirani H R College of Commerce and Economics Strategic Management, Ethics, Sociology

Details of the scholarship, including how to apply, can be found here.

The Thomas and Joanne Peterson Scholarship

The Thomas and Joanne Peterson Endowed Scholarship for Dominican Scholars at Oxford was launched in 2015 at Dominican University of California. Its purpose is to open the Oxford programme to academically outstanding motivated Dominican students, regardless of their financial situations. Mr Peterson recently said “At St Catherine’s College, the Dominican students will engage with academic work in a way that is both intellectually challenging and hugely rewarding. Their experiences at Oxford will be life changing.”

Peterson Scholars who have studied at St Catherine’s College:

  • Kylie Walsh
  • Donavan Hernandez-Garcia
  • Alexander Pollok
  • Victor Chan
  • Brad Johnson
  • Daniel Stockman
  • Sophia Stetson
  • Jake Quast
  • Monica Barry
  • Lilly Dubuc
  • Jeffrey Farley
  • Christina Pathoumthong
  • Addie Partington