University of Oxford
Undergraduate Prospectus
2014 Entry
Careers and Finance
This version was produced by the Oxford University Accessible Resources Acquisition and Creation Unit in 2013.
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[Transcriber's Note]
To use navigation, heading level 1, 2, and 3 are used throughout the document. 
Each file contains a Table of Contents with hyperlinks to the main sections of the text
Print page numbers are recorded at the point where they occur and are given on a separate line enclosed in square brackets.
Contents
Careers and Finance
Your career after OXFORD
Six months after leaving...
and of those in work...
OXFORD Graduates: in demand
Oxford helps you:
Find an internship
Learn business skills
Gain confidence
Develop your transferable skills
Student Statement
The University Careers Service
Find work experience
Make applications
Get inspiration for the future
Student Statement
Oxford Careers Network (OCN)
Oxford for life
Student finance
What it costs
Tuition fees
Living costs
Student Statement
What you get - UK and EU students only
Tuition fee support
Living costs support
Oxford support
The Moritz-Heyman Scholarship
How to access UK government support
Loan Repayments
Careers and Finance
Your career after OXFORD
Choosing what to do when you leave Oxford may not be your top priority. You have, after all, years to make that decision - and then even more opportunity to change it. However, it’s still worth knowing these quick facts...
1 You will almost certainly be employed on leaving.
Nearly 95% of all Oxford leavers are in work or further study six months after leaving. This has been about the same (+/- 1%) for at least the last twenty years.
2 Your degree subject doesn’t limit the jobs you can get.
(Unless it’s a medical career - but even then, you can always take a postgraduate medical course.) 60% of the jobs advertised through the Careers Service don’t specify the degree subject.
3 There are more jobs advertised through the Careers Service than students to fill them.
More than 5,000 opportunities were advertised last year on Oxford’s online system, CareerConnect. The number of jobs advertised has been growing at over 20% every year for the last four years.
4 The average starting salary last year was £25,000.
Depending on sector, it can range from £10,000 right up to £45,000.
Six months after leaving...
In employment 52% 
In further study 29%
In employment and further study 8%
Unemployed 6%
Unavailable 5%
and of those in work...
Academia and higher education 15%
Accountancy and finance 5%
Advertising, marketing and PR 2%
Banking and investment 7%
Charity and development 4%
Consulting 5%
Consumer goods and retail 4%
Education 14%
Energy and the environment 2%
Engineering 3%
Government and policy 6%
Health and social care 10%
HR and recruitment 1%
IT and computing 3%
Law 3%
Libraries and publishing 2%
Media and journalism 3%
Museums and culture 3%
Scientific research, analysis and support 3%
Translation and interpreting 1%
Other 1%
2011 graduates
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OXFORD Graduates: in demand
Surveys of employers report that they find Oxford students ‘better’, or ‘much better’, than the average UK student at key employability skills such as problem solving, leadership, and communication. Hundreds of recruiters visit the University each year, demonstrating their demand for Oxford students.
“oxford students are self-starters, who are able to intelligently apply themselves to a range of tasks They are often able to manage their time effectively, and confidently present themselves in professional situations.”
ACADEMIC RESEARCH THINK TANK
“The oxford system produces graduates who are able to think independently and creatively, and above all, know how to go about continual learning.
In our business, the ability to handle new situations, and new skills, is much more important than any specific vocational or subject-specific training.”
IT SERVICES FIRM
“Bright, talented people with an optimistic outlook and excellent communications skills.”
LARGE MANAGEMENT CONSULTANCY FIRM
“One can rely on the quality of the training, level of reasoning and problem solving ability, integrity, and respect of oxford students.”
ENGINEERING & ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES FIRM
Oxford helps you:
Find an internship
The Internship Office sources and co-ordinates hundreds of internships for Oxford students. Located in the UK and abroad, internships can enable you to get an insight into a foreign country and sector of your choice; from publishing in Hong Kong, to museums in the USA and climate change in the UK. Many are paid or include a generous financial contribution.
Learn business skills
The Student Consultancy programme trains teams of students to help Oxfordshire organisations solve a real business problem: it gives great work experience for all types of work including consultancy.
‘The Shed’ provides a space to develop your own ideas for innovation and entrepreneurship. There is training for students intending to start their own business.
Gain confidence
Based on the award-winning Springboard programme for professional women, this unique version for Oxford has been designed to provide female undergraduates with the tools to enhance their personal development in all aspects of life, including assertiveness, getting support and goal setting.
Develop your transferable skills
Undertaking an intellectually demanding academic course will equip you for the demands of many jobs. The tutorial system will teach you to research, summarise, present and defend an argument.
Taking part in student societies (there are more than 600 to choose from) can also be really helpful:
•	An elected position in a society is the easiest way of showing leadership and teamwork
•	Juggling academic study with extra-curricular activities is powerful proof of time management and organisation
•	It shows your sociability, which implies people skills
•	You can demonstrate responsibility (e.g. by turning up to sports practice or a rehearsal every week)
•	You’ll find opportunities within the society to prove or improve many other employability skills – such as communication, financial numeracy, and business awareness
Student Statement
“I have been fortunate to find a career path that enables me to utilise both the scientific knowledge about climate change that I gained from my Geography degree and the communication and organisational skills I learnt from my role as a JCR Officer and Sports Captain.” Caroline, graduated 2004
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The University Careers Service
The Careers Service helps all Oxford students with almost anything to do with your career at and after Oxford. They can help you:
Find work experience
•	Thousands of work experience opportunities are advertised each year on CareerConnect - a website just for Oxford students.
•	5000 one-to-one meetings with Careers Advisers are available each year - for help with job-hunting strategies.
Make applications
•	Workshops are regularly held on CVs, cover letters, application forms and interview skills.
•	Mock interviews are offered with real employers, along with weekly CV clinics for one-to-one feedback.
•	A wealth of advice about the application process is held in the Resource Centre and on the careers website.
Get inspiration for the future
•	A dozen careers fairs are held each year, with hundreds of employers attending.
•	Regular talks explore a wide range of different careers.
•	The Oxford Careers Network allows you to contact alumni online for advice.
•	Oxford’s Careers Advisers have experience in everything from NGOs to teaching and from consultancy to dentistry.
Student Statement
“I have worked for the UN in 11 countries, mostly in peacekeeping and humanitarian operations. The analytical thinking I acquired at Oxford is crucial to my daily work, whether responding to conflict or natural disasters. And no less importantly, Oxford is where I developed ideals and convictions, which help me do my work with dedication day after day.” Maurizio, graduated 1996
Oxford Careers Network (OCN)
The OCN is a database of more than 2,500 Oxford University graduates who have volunteered to share their experiences of employment, further study and gap year activities. OCN provides students with behind the scenes information about a company or occupation, as well as creating valuable opportunities for networking, as many members are happy for students to contact them via email. These volunteers represent a huge variety of roles and occupations, from the legal sector to journalism and from medicine to music.
www.careers.ox.ac.uk
Oxford for life
Choosing Oxford can make an enormous difference, not just for the three or four years of your undergraduate study, but for the rest of your life. Wherever you go after graduating, from London to Johannesburg, you will meet people who have shared the same unique educational experience. By coming to Oxford, you will be joining this community, which encompasses not just the 20,000 or so students in residence but the more than 180,000 graduates in the UK and overseas. The University’s alumni association helps graduates to stay in touch with Oxford and encourages them to take advantage of the University, from providing social and professional networking opportunities, to careers support and, of course, the facility for further study.
Oxford has an incredible number of well-known former students, from Prime Ministers to journalists, and Nobel prize-winners to humanitarians. But beyond the famous faces, there is the immense contribution made by all of our alumni, whose work in everything from aeronautics to zoology owes a debt to their Oxford experience.
ox.ac.uk/videowall/global_alumni features a number of short videos with alumni in a range of fields, talking about the impact Oxford has made on their lives.
www.alumni.ox.ac.uk
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Student finance
Despite what you may have heard, it's no more expensive to study at Oxford than at any other university. In fact, our world-class resources and college provision actually keep living costs down.
Oxford is committed to ensuring that UK students with the academic ability to achieve a place here are not held back by their financial circumstances.
Since 2012, Oxford has offered the most generous no-strings-attached financial support package of any UK university. In 2014–15 Oxford is proposing to offer both tuition fee reductions and bursaries to UK and EU students from lower income households as part of its standard financial support package [Note: Subject to approval by the Office for Fair Access (OFFA) end of note].
What it costs
There are two types of costs when starting at any university: tuition fees and living costs.
Tuition fees
Tuition fees are charged annually towards the cost of your course tuition. UK and EU students do not have to pay this cost upfront (more details opposite).
Living costs
Living costs comprise many different essential costs that you will incur as a student; for example, accommodation, food, study materials, clothing, sports and social expenses, and travel. In 2013–14, we estimate term time living costs to be around £7,900 for a student living in college for three terms. You will need to budget extra if you plan to stay in Oxford over the holidays or if you are from outside the UK; and you are likely to incur increased travel expenses.
International students
International undergraduates pay a higher rate of tuition fee than UK and EU students, and are also liable for an additional college fee. The University has a small number of scholarships available to overseas students. Students from the USA and Canada can access Federal Loans or funding through similar programmes.
Islands students 
Students from the Channel Islands or Isle of Man are entitled to different support to that of students from the rest of the UK and are also liable for a college fee. The tuition fee is the same as that of UK and EU students with the exception of clinical medicine students for whom it is significantly higher.
Previous study 
If you have studied at undergraduate level before and completed your course you will be classed as an Equivalent or Lower Qualification student (ELQ). You won’t receive government or university support. If you did not complete your degree the funding you have already received will be taken into account and you might not get funding for the full length of your course. More details can be found at ox.ac.uk/feesandfunding/fees/information/elq
Visit our Fees, Funding and Scholarship Search Tool for an overview of the costs and any support for your course - ox.ac.uk/feesandfunding/search
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Student Statement
“The support that Oxford has given me, financially, has enabled me to focus on my university experience ... In my first term, I have been able to delve into a wealth of activities including singing, acting, sports and (of course!) academic opportunities.”
Christopher Evans, 1st year
What you get - UK and EU students only
Tuition fee support
•	A tuition fee loan from the UK government
•	A fee reduction from Oxford if you are from a lower-income household [Transcriber’s Note: footnote reads: To access this support, students must request to be financially assessed (‘means-tested’) by their regional funding agency, and provide their household income information. end of note]
Living costs support
•	A maintenance loan from the UK government (UK students only)
•	A maintenance grant from the UK government if you are from a lower-income household (UK students only)
•	A non-repayable bursary from Oxford if you are from a lower-income household [Transcriber’s Note: footnote reads: To access this support, students must request to be financially assessed (‘means-tested’) by their regional funding agency, and provide their household income information.. end of note]
Remember you don’t have to pay any tuition fees upfront
At the time of publishing, Oxford and government support has not been confirmed for 2014 entry. When information is available the University will produce an update for you to download from ox.ac.uk/funding - from spring 2013.
Oxford support
We make it as easy as possible to access Oxford financial support. There is no separate application process: we use information from your regional funding agency to assess you for our tuition fee reductions and bursaries. [Transcriber’s Note: footnote reads: To access this support, students must request to be financially assessed (‘means-tested’) by their regional funding agency, and provide their household income information.. end of note]
As a guide, in 2013–14 the tuition fee and bursary levels for UK and EU students are as follows: [Transcriber’s Note: footnote reads Students from Wales may be eligible to receive a tuition fee grant from the Welsh Assembly making them ineligible for a fee reduction from Oxford. end of note]
Household income	Fee level	Bursary
level	Start-up bursary (Year 1 only)	
£16,000 or less	£3,500 (First year)
£6,000 (Second year onwards)	£3,300	£1,000	
£16,001-£20,000	£7,000	£3,000	£500	
£20,001-£25,000	£8,000	£2,500	£500	
£25,001-£42,611	£9,000	£2,000 - £500	£500	
£42,612 +	£9,000	£0	£0	
Remember – you will never have to repay oxford bursaries
The Moritz-Heyman Scholarship
UK Students from lower income households may be eligible for even more support. The Moritz-Heyman Scholarship programme provides a higher level of funding, opportunities to take part in volunteering activities, and access to at least one internship during the summer vacations. For information on the scheme, visit ox.ac.uk/funding
How to access UK government support
For students from:
England – www.gov.uk/studentfinance 
Scotland – www.saas.gov.uk 
Northern Ireland – www.studentfinanceni.co.uk 
Wales – www.studentfinancewales.co.uk
Other EU: www.gov.uk/studentfinance
Loan Repayments
All UK government loans are combined into a single debt which only becomes repayable once you have left your course, and are earning more than a set amount.
Find out more about repayments at ox.ac.uk/funding
Remember to check for further updates to the above information at
ox.ac.uk/funding