Passports, Mail, Visas, and UK Border Control

Passport and OSAP Acceptance Letter
Be sure to bring your passport and your OSAP acceptance letter with you when you travel. Border Agents will need to inspect both, the latter as confirmation of your acceptance for a programme of study in Britain. Make sure they are with you on your person (i.e. not in checked luggage) to present to the relevant customs officials.

Visas
You may need to apply for a visa or ETA prior to travelling to the United Kingdom.

This page on our website offers extensive guidance to determine whether you need to apply for a visa or ETA in advance of traveling to the UK.

If it is necessary for you to apply for a visa or ETA prior to traveling to the UK, please ensure you have done so and have any required documentation with you, in addition to your passport, when entering the country.

UK Border Control
If you experience difficulty entering the UK, or if the Boarder Agent has specific questions of OSAP as your sponsor, please direct them to phone WISC/OSAP at 01865.201132. These contact details are also printed on the first page of your OSAP acceptance letter.

Health Insurance
You should make certain that your health insurance covers you in the UK, and you should bring your insurance identification card with you. Because almost all of our students in the past have had their own coverage, we do not administer or recommend a particular insurance plan. Additionally, see this page for more information on medical care whilst in Oxford as an OSAP student.

Personal Mail and Parcels
If you wish to post items to yourself and have them held for you until your arrival, please use the address below. Note that this is also the best address for all mail and parcels once you are in Oxford, as the office staff can sign for any large boxes, etc.

[Student’s Name]
Oxford Study Abroad Programme
Third Floor, Chester House
21-27 George Street
Oxford OX1 2AY
United Kingdom

Please make sure that, if an ordering website fills in the address automatically, it is sent to us, at either: Washington International Studies Council, Oxford Study Abroad Programme, WISC or OSAP. It is very important that you do not have it sent to one of the other organisations based in Chester House, as they will not sign for the parcel and it will most likely be returned.

Deliveries should be collected from reception at our Chester House office. There are ‘pigeon holes’ where mail is filed alphabetically by your last name (or on the floor if it is too large). Please check these regularly; we do not send notification emails as it is put there by various couriers, tutors, staff etc.

Personal Expenses

You should plan to bring or arrange to have wired to you sufficient funds for your personal expenses (such as meals, transportation, any “extras” for your housing, and travel).

Students report that personal expenses in Oxford (such as dining out) are generally 60 percent higher than comparable costs in most U.S college settings.

We expect meal costs to be about $110/week and personal expenses (outside of travel) to be about $120/week.

Packing Advice

When packing for Oxford, it is important to remember that though it is an old city, Oxford is fully equipped with all the conveniences of a modern city. This means that if you forget to pack something, you will almost certainly be able to find it in a shop or store within easy walking distance of city centre. This also means that some students choose not to pack bulky or heavy items (e.g. towels), as they can be cheaply and easily purchased in Oxford.

Recommended to Bring
In addition to the attire recommendations listed above, you might consider bringing the following, if pertinent, as several students have found them useful in the past:

• Medications: Make sure you bring enough of any prescribed medications you might be taking to cover your entire time abroad.
• A good rain coat or umbrella
• USB Flash Drive (one or more)
• AC Voltage Converter: This could be needed if you have, for example, an electric shaver or other electronic device that does not take 220v input (note that most modern devices do take 220v input, so what is need is not a voltage converter, but rather an AC Adaptor, explained below).
• AC Adaptor: Available in various UK stores, as well as at UK airports, AC Adaptors merely changes the configuration of the plug (without converting voltage), and provides a link between your home country plug and the UK wall socket.

Not Recommended to Bring
Here is a list of items which students in the past have suggested are easier to leave at home and acquire once in Oxford:

• Paper and notebooks
• General toiletries
• Towels (easily and cheaply purchased in Oxford, thus avoiding taking up valuable luggage space and weight)