Must-reads

This page is for graduate Freshers | Back to graduate Freshers home page

Many of the questions you will have about life and study at Balliol are answered in the publications below, so you are strongly encouraged to read them through.

For academic matters and information relating to your studies, you should refer to your Course Handbook; the formal requirements for your degree programme are found in the University Examination Regulations.

College Handbook

The College Handbook, an online resource, is a ‘one-stop’ shop for all things Balliol – the College rules, exams, what to do if you are ill, meal information, accommodation, scholarships, prizes, term dates, etc.

College Advisers and College List

Every graduate student at Oxford has a College Adviser. This is often a senior academic member of the College such as a Fellow, but in many cases a wide range of staff act as Advisers such as other teaching staff or Junior Research Fellows.

Your College Adviser can provide pastoral support, monitor your progress if needed, discuss any difficulties you may be experiencing in your Department or Faculty, and offer guidance on sources of support available within the College and University (both academic and non-academic).

Your College Adviser does not perform the role of your Department or Faculty Supervisor(s), and is not responsible for directing your academic work or for giving detailed academic guidance. Your College Adviser will not necessarily, therefore, be from your department or immediate subject area.

You will be notified about your College Adviser by email during Freshers’ Week if you are Michaelmas Term starter or during the first few weeks of term if you are a Hilary Term starter. You can also check the name of your College Adviser on the College List which will usually be available by the end of the first week of term on the Balliol College Intranet. You will have the opportunity to meet your College Adviser at the College Advisers’ Welcome Tea in Freshers’ Week if you are a Michaelmas Term starter.

University Student Handbook

When you received your University offer through your departmental offer letter you were provided with a link to the Student Handbook. This document is updated annually and the updated version for 2023/2024 is available here

Oxford Students’ website

The Oxford University students website is a mine of information for new students and your first few weeks, but will also be very helpful throughout your course. It includes information on academic matters (including extensions, exams, suspension), welfare support, visa and immigration information, and, for the end of your course — graduation and leaving Oxford.

Financial support

The Financial Support web page provides information about the financial resources available to you in the University and at Balliol, for things such as travel grants, hardship funds, etc.