Our international community

Our people

Oxford is a truly international university. More than half of our graduate students come from outside the UK: together, they represent over 160 different countries and territories. You can find out more about our graduate student body on our student statistics page. 

There is no ‘Oxford type’: our students come from all kinds of backgrounds, and all bring something unique. We aim to make this a welcoming environment in which all of our students can thrive and reach their full potential.

For more information about applying to Oxford as an international student, take a look at our information for international applicants section.

Our global reach

We have a presence throughout the world unlike that of any other university. 

• Oxford has around 350,000 alumni, spread across almost every country in the world.

• The University has international offices in Japan, China and North America, fostering stronger relationships with foundations and businesses in those countries, as well as with our alumni. 

• Oxford University Press (OUP) is a department of the University, and the world's largest university press. Publishing worldwide in more than 40 languages, it furthers the University's objective of excellence in research, scholarship and education. It is globally renowned for its English language learning and teaching resources. 

• The laboratories of Oxford's Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health represent probably the largest overseas research presence of any university in the world. The centre employs over 2,000 overseas staff, working to expand our understanding of how to treat tropical infectious diseases.

• Our specialist centres, like the University of Oxford China Centre, the Latin American Centre, and the African Studies Centre, provide valuable resources for students and attract scholars and academics from all over the world. 

You can find out more about Oxford’s global links on our International Oxford webpages. 

Collaboration

Our research and collaborative links span virtually every country in the world.

We collaborate with the best research universities in the world through our alliances and networks, including the International Alliance of Research Universities (IARU), the Europeaum, the League of European Research Universities (LERU), the Oxford–Berlin Research Partnership and the Oxford-Princeton alliance.

Our researchers have created countless collaborations all over the world, from building instruments for planetary exploration with NASA to working with local botanists in the Andes to discover over 100 plants that are new to science. 

International opportunities

While studying at Oxford, graduate students enjoy access to a range of international experiences. 

Some of our courses offer students the chance to spend time abroad. There are also a variety of exchanges, summer schools and other programs for study abroad on offer. Travel grants are available to graduate students wishing to spend time overseas to conduct study or research as part of their degree.

Language learning

If you'd like to learn a new language for research, study, or personal interest before a trip overseas, the Oxford University Language Centre is the language hub for Oxford students and staff. The centre offers courses in 11 modern languages, including Arabic, Mandarin and Spanish, and resources in many more as well as an online Pre-Sessional English Course which is open to all international students preparing for graduate study at Oxford.