Please carefully review the information below to determine if you will need to obtain a UK visa and/or Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) before your arrival in the United Kingdom.
Visas
Review the following three categories to determine whether or not you need to obtain a UK visa before your arrival in the United Kingdom.
Should you require assistance at any stage of your visa application, please email academic@osapabroad.com.
(A) If you hold an American or EU passport and are studying in Oxford for one or two terms only (under the auspices of OSAP), you will not be required to apply for a visa before entering the UK (though you will almost certainly need to apply for an ETA – see below). Students in this category may (after presenting their OSAP acceptance letter to passport control) be issued a visa at their UK port of entry, valid to remain in the UK, for the purposes of studying, for up to six months.
(B) If you do not hold a UK passport and studying for more than two terms (i.e. longer than six months) you will be required to obtain a Student Visa (and, most likely, an ETA – see below) before your arrival in the UK, irrespective of your nationality. Prior to applying for your visa, all students in this category should contact OSAP for a sponsor letter, which is is required as part of your visa application. For Associate Members, this letter will be issued by OSAP. For Visiting Students, this letter will be issued by your Oxford University college.
Once you have your sponsor letter (either from OSAP or your Oxford University college), you should apply for your Student Visa via the UK Visas and Immigration online application website.
(C) Irrespective of the number of terms you intend to study, if you do not possess an American or EU passport, you may be required to obtain a Standard Visitor Visa (as well as an ETA – see below) before your departure for the UK. If you are not an American or EU passport holder, please this UK Visas and Immigration website to determine if you will need to apply for a visa before arriving in the UK.
If you fall under categories (B) or (C) above, please ensure that you obtain a visa sponsor letter from OSAP before you apply for a Student Visa or a Standard Visitor Visa as failure to do so will cause your application to be rejected.
Electronic Travel Authorizations (ETAs)
From January 2025, most students without a UK or Irish passport must apply for an Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) before travelling to the UK. ETAs can take up to one week to issue, and must be applied for in advance of your arrival to the UK.
It is very important that you visit this website to determine whether you need an ETA and, if so, for application instructions:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/apply-for-an-electronic-travel-authorisation-eta
Should you require assistance at any stage of your visa application, please email academic@osapabroad.com.
The Oxford Study Abroad Programme (OSAP) is the trading name and a division of the Washington International Studies Council (WISC).
The Washington International Studies Council (WISC) holds accreditation from both the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) and the British Accreditation Council (BAC). WISC also holds a Student Visa Sponsor Licence from U.K. Visas and Immigration, enabling WISC to sponsor selected students to study in Oxford under the UK’s points-based immigration system.
"The academic program was very strong. The New College administration was helpful at all times; the OSAP admin was also helpful."
"My academic program was excellent. Much more work than expected. My law and ethics course was amazing--definitely worth the work...I wrote 13 essays!"