Undergraduate Freshers' information page

This page provides information for undergraduate students holding offers from Magdalen for entry in 2012.

Communication from the College may be sent by email or by letter. Please notify us immediately if you change any of your contact details. Students should check email accounts regularly, including their junk mail or spam folders.

Relevant dates

By 31 January 2012

Students with offers that include a requirement to send evidence of previously achieved qualifications should send copies of verified certificates or other satisfactory proof of these examinations to reach the College by this date.

March/April

The College will write to all students with finance information and a reminder about applying for student loans. Students classed as overseas for fees purposes will be asked to provide evidence of funding for their full course length by a specified date in June. Information about student funding can be found on the University website at: www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate_courses/student_funding/

March – September

The College will be sending out reading lists for some subjects.

July

Students with conditional offers requiring completion of qualifications other than A Levels, Advanced Highers or the International Baccalaureate must arrange for certified proof of those qualifications to reach the College no later than noon on 31 July.

August

Following publication of the A Level results in mid-August, the College will confirm, by letter, the places of all those students who have met their offer conditions.

Immediately after this a Freshers’ information pack will be sent. We are not able to send this pack earlier in the year, if, for example, you hold an unconditional offer. The pack will contain important information about arriving in Oxford including contracts and other forms that must be completed by you and returned to the College by a date in early September. Please notify the College as soon as possible if you will be away in August and let us know the date you will return to your address. It is important that your pack is dealt with by you in good time before your arrival at Oxford.

Information for Freshers

Arrival

Freshers’ week will commence on Monday 1st October 2012 and you will be asked to arrive on that day by 5pm. If you have essential (eg: limited flight availability) reasons for needing to arrive earlier than this date you may contact the Home Bursar to discuss this. However, in general, no accommodation will be available before Monday 1st October. Students arriving by car will be able to park briefly outside the College or outside the Waynflete Building to drop off luggage. There is no parking available in College. Those students whose parents are unable to bring them on that Monday should plan to travel by public transport with sufficient belongings for the week, until the rest can be brought at the weekend. Exceptionally, and only with prior permission from the Home Bursar, it may be possible to drop off items on 29th/30th September and then arrive in person on the Monday.

Accommodation and allocation

The College assumes that all First years will live in College accommodation unless you have contacted us beforehand to request permission to live out (please note that there are certain residency requirements that you must meet if you intend to live out). First year accommodation is allocated on a randomised basis (administered by the Conference and Accommodation Office) and you will be given your room details when you arrive on 1st October. You do not need to apply for accommodation in your first year and you are not able to request a specific location. Students with disabilities who have particular accommodation needs should contact the Admissions Office (admissions@magd.ox.ac.uk) in the first instance. In the subsequent years of your course you will be able to choose your room from the accommodation available to your year group, by a ballot system.

Fees and Batells

Batells are the termly bills for accommodation costs, and will also include any other costs incurred by you at College during the previous term. On arrival in October you will find your first Batells bill in your pigeonhole which will include accommodation costs for your first term and a £100 deposit, which will be held on account until you leave. You will also receive a fees statement unless you have applied for a Tuition Fee Loan. Batells and fees must always be paid by the end of the first week of term and your first bill will be due by Friday 12th October 2012. In the first year, when the University will be establishing the list of students eligible for a Fee Waiver, it may be possible to defer payment of your tuition fee until mid-term. The Accounts department will accept payment by cash, cheque or card.

What to bring?

Your Freshers’ pack will contain some information from the JCR with recommendations on what items to bring with you. You will be able to contact the JCR Freshers’ Rep in advance if you have any questions – see the JCR website for details.