SCHOOL OF GEOGRAPHY AND THE ENVIRONMENT

INTERNATIONAL GRADUATE SCHOOL

OUCE, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QY
Tel: +44(0)1865 285045 Fax: +44(0)1865 275885
www.ouce.ox.ac.uk/graduate

Director of Graduates: Professor Robert J. Whittaker

MSc Course Coordinator: Caroline Anderson, [email protected]

20th December 2016

Your student number: 1104981
Miss Gisselle Vila Benites
Baltazar La Torre 116
Dpto 302
San Isidro
Lima
_
LIMA 27
Peru

Dear Gisselle,

Application for admission as a graduate student to the University of Oxford

I am delighted to inform you that your application for admission to the University of Oxford as a
graduate student has been successful. We would like to offer you a place for the MSc (by
coursework) in Nature, Society and Environmental Governance beginning October 2017. Our
admissions round is extremely competitive, and we would like to congratulate you most
warmly on your success.

This offer constitutes your formal offer of a place at the University of Oxford and when you
accept it you will enter into a contract with the University. The offer should be read together
with the following three documents available as PDFs from
www.graduate.ox.ac.uk/acceptingyouroffer:

(1) the University’s Terms and Conditions for matriculated students. This explains how
your contract with the University works and what it contains, including key terms and
your responsibilities.

(2) the Course Information Sheet. This includes key information about the content of your
course, your fees, any additional course costs and likely living costs in Oxford.

(3) the Student Handbook. This contains essential information including matters relating
to Welfare, Safety and Security, the Oxford University Student Union, Sports, Clubs and
Recreation, Academic Support, Residence, Intellectual Property, Examinations, Conduct,
Disciplinary Procedures and the University’s Complaints Process.

You should read the Terms and Conditions, Course Information Sheet and Student Handbook
carefully before accepting this offer as they set out the content of the contract you will be
entering into with the University.
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We hope that you will accept this conditional offer. To do so, please contact: msc-coordinator-
[email protected] by 20th January 2017*. This offer will lapse if we have not heard
from you by this date. If you have any questions before making your decision, please do not
hesitate to get in touch. If you do not intend to accept this offer or if, once you have accepted
it, you decide at a later stage to withdraw, it would be very helpful if you would let us know as
soon as possible.

This offer is subject to the following academic conditions:

 You should send us a certified copy of your final transcript for your degree(s) as soon as
possible. Transcripts will not be returned to you. Please ensure that we receive these by
the date specified below otherwise we will be unable to confirm our offer to you.

 You should achieve the higher level in one of the English language tests recognised by the
University; you will find details of tests and scores at
www.graduate.ox.ac.uk/englishproficiency. You should send us the original copy of your
test results as soon as possible. This will not be returned to you. Please ensure that we
receive these by the date specified below otherwise we will be unable to confirm our
offer to you.

Once you have met the conditions above, please inform us as soon as possible by sending the
relevant official documentation to the address above. We need to receive this information by
1st August 2017. It will usually not be possible for you to take up your place if any conditions
are outstanding after this date, although we may make an exception if there are good reasons
to do so. If you anticipate any difficulties, please contact us as soon as possible.

Financial Conditions
This offer is subject to the following financial conditions. As part of the college acceptance
procedures you will be sent a Financial Declaration form. To complete this and satisfy the
financial conditions of this offer, you will need to:

 show that you have sufficient funding to cover the University and college fees for Year 1 of
your course, by providing financial evidence such as a letter from your scholarship sponsor
or your bank;
 give your assurance that you are able and willing to meet all University and college fees
beyond Year 1, if the duration of your course is longer than a year (no financial evidence is
required); and
 give your assurance that you are able and willing to meet your living costs for the duration
of your course (no financial evidence is required).

The Course Information Sheet contains details of the University and college fees payable for
your programme, a guide to likely living costs in Oxford and information about any additional
costs associated with your course. The Fees and Funding section
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(www.graduate.ox.ac.uk/funding) of the Graduate Admissions website has full details of the

Financial Declaration process, and information to help you estimate what your fee status
(Home/EU or Overseas) is likely to be. Please ensure that you have thought about the total cost
of attending the University of Oxford and how you will meet that cost before accepting this
offer.

Please be aware that University fees vary according to your fee status (Home/EU or Overseas)
The official confirmation of your personal fee status, University and college fee liability, and
likely living costs will be provided to you in the offer letter from your college, along with details
of the documentation you will be required to provide as part of the Financial Declaration
process.

College Place
You will be offered a college place in due course. The college accepting you will be in touch with
you directly and will send a letter offering you a place. If you choose to turn down the college
place you are offered (or exercise any cancellation right that the college gives you), please be
aware that this means you are also turning down the University place on the programme
offered to you in this letter. This is because the two offers are linked and you must be a
member of a college in order to join the University (matriculate).

Deferral of Entry
The University does not normally consider requests for a deferral of entry, and you are
therefore expected to start on your programme on the date set out above in this letter. If you
encounter unforeseen and unforeseeable circumstances, you may submit a request for deferral
of entry for no more than one year provided you have met all your conditions, including the
financial conditions set by the college. To check eligibility criteria for a deferral request and any
implications related to deferring your place, please go to:
www.graduate.ox.ac.uk/acceptingyouroffer. If you believe you are eligible and wish to apply for
a deferral of entry, please submit your request in writing and send it to msc-coordinator-bcm-
[email protected] . Please note that the University cannot guarantee availability of
supervision or that the programme will remain unchanged in future years or continue to be
offered. You must submit your request for deferral before you register with the University. The
deadline for registration will be Friday 13th October 2017.
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Important supporting information for your offer

Further important information in support of your offer is in the annex to this letter, covering:
your college place; college and university accommodation; disability, long-term health
conditions and specific learning difficulties; Tier 4 student visas for international applicants; the
pre-sessional course in English for Academic Purposes for those whose first language is not
English; and advance planning for your arrival in Oxford.

Change in your contact details

Please ensure you inform your college and us of any change in your contact details (postal
address, email address and telephone numbers, etc.) between now and your arrival in Oxford.

Next steps
Please read the Terms and Conditions, Course Information Sheet and Student Handbook
carefully as you will be entering into a contract with the University when you accept this offer.
As set out above, please confirm your acceptance of this offer by 20th January 2017. The offer
will lapse if we have not heard from you by this date.

In due course you will receive a letter from a college informing you of its offer of a place and
setting out the financial conditions you must meet as part of its offer. Your college offer letter
will include information about your contract with the college.

Once all the conditions set by both the University and the college have been met, we will send
you a letter confirming that you have met all your conditions. You will be asked to complete
and return a University Card Form. This is required for you to register as a student at the
University.

Queries
If you have any questions about this offer, please do not hesitate to contact us on msc-
[email protected] or call +44 (o)1865 285045. Our website at
http://www.geog.ox.ac.uk/graduate/ contains much information that will be helpful to you, as
well as the section on the University’s admissions website about accepting your offer:
http://www.graduate.ox.ac.uk/acceptingyouroffer. Please also note that the University’s
graduate admissions complaints policy is available at www.graduate.ox.ac.uk/complaints.

We very much look forward to welcoming you to Oxford.

Yours sincerely

Professor Robert J. Whittaker

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Director of Graduate Studies (Taught)

* Right to Cancel: [Note: This is a notice that the University is obliged to include in offer letters
by law. However, please note that we anticipate that this will affect only students who are
required to pay a fee deposit as part of accepting their offer]. You are entitled to cancel your
acceptance of a place at the University for any reason within a period of fourteen days
beginning on the day after the day on which we receive notification of your acceptance of this
offer. You can do so by sending a notice in writing stating that you wish to cancel your
acceptance of the offer of a place. The notice should be sent by email to msc-coordinator-bcm-
[email protected]. By cancelling your acceptance of the offer, you will be withdrawing from
both the University and the college, if you have already been offered a college place.
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Important supporting information for your offer

College place

You are guaranteed to receive an offer of a college place, but please note that the college place
you will be offered will not necessarily be at your preferred college, if you have indicated one
on your application form. If you have not indicated a college preference or if your preferred
college is not able to accept you, a college will be found on your behalf.

You can expect to receive your college offer within 8-10 weeks. In a few cases, this may take
longer, but please be reassured that this is not a cause for concern and you are guaranteed a
college place. If you have not heard from a college after 10 weeks, please do not approach the
colleges directly but contact the Graduate Admissions office by posting an email query at:
www.graduate.ox.ac.uk/ask or by telephoning +44 1865 270059. However, please note that
they will not be able to tell you which college is considering your application.

Wherever possible, the University tries to link its scholarship funds with additional funds from a
specific college, in order to maximise the total number of scholarships awarded. If you are
successful in obtaining a scholarship, we may need to move your application to a college which
is not your preferred college (if you indicated one) so as to maximise the overall availability of
funding to all applicants.

There are only two grounds on which a change of college during the application process is
possible: (i) the University moves you to another college to secure funding on your behalf; (ii)
another college is better able to support any disability, long-term health conditions, or specific
learning difficulties which you may declare. A change of college on disability grounds will only
be possible in exceptional cases and you will be required to provide supporting medical
evidence about your disability and its impact. Normally this kind of change extends only to
those with a severe disability that requires substantial adjustments to living accommodation, a
significant sensory impairment or those who have personal daily care needs.

Accommodation

Please be aware that although many graduate students are able to live in college and University
accommodation, this offer of a place does not guarantee such accommodation.

College
Many colleges are able to offer accommodation to their graduate students. If accommodation
is available at your college, it will provide you with details of how to apply in the letter offering
you a college place. The college may operate separate rent assurance processes but these are
not part of the admissions process. We recommend you submit your accommodation
application early.
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University
The University’s Accommodation Office lets and manages rooms, flats and houses on sites
owned by the University in and around Oxford city centre which are available for graduate
students. Please see the website at: www.admin.ox.ac.uk/accommodation/graduate for more
information on how to apply for this accommodation. We recommend you submit your
accommodation application early.
You may apply for both college and University accommodation at the same time, but please
note that if you are made an offer of both types of accommodation you will only be able to
accept one of these offers.

Disability, long-term health conditions and specific learning difficulties

The University supports over 2,800 students who have declared a disability, including specific
learning difficulties (such as dyslexia and dyspraxia), long-term health conditions, mental health
difficulties, mobility difficulties, sensory impairments and autism spectrum disorders.

We strongly encourage you to let the Disability Advisory Service (DAS) know if you have (or
think you might have) a disability as early as possible so that they can advise on the range of
study support that is available. You can download a registration form at:
www.ox.ac.uk/students/welfare/disability/needs. Alternatively, please contact a Disability
Adviser who will be happy to answer any questions you might have via email
([email protected]) or telephone (+44 (0)1865 280459). If you have a disability for
which you usually have special residential accommodation requirements (eg physical
impairment or mobility issues), please also contact the Graduate Admissions and Funding office
at [email protected]. This is because early notice will help us support you
better in the college admissions process, and because college and university accommodation
tends to fill up as the year progresses. Please note, however, that no candidate is guaranteed
college or university accommodation.

Visa application

Your offer is made on the basis of our entry requirements and does not necessarily mean that
you will be eligible for a visa to study. It is your responsibility to investigate whether you need a
visa, are eligible to apply for a Tier 4 Student Visa, and are able to meet the requirements.

Please refer to the UK government Visa and Immigration website at https://www.gov.uk/tier-4-

general-visa/overview. You will also find advice, including a detailed guide to applying for a Tier
4 Student Visa on the University website at www.ox.ac.uk/students/visa. You must read this
information carefully before beginning your visa application. If you have any queries about
your eligibility for a visa, please email [email protected] quoting your
student number.

As an offer-holder you will receive a series of emails from the University about preparing for
your visa application and your CAS (see below). You must read these carefully and respond
where necessary.
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If you are applying for a Tier 4 Student Visa, you will need certain information as follows:

(i) The ‘Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies’ or CAS: Your department will collate
information based on your application and notify you by email when preparation
for the CAS has started. As soon as you have fulfilled all your conditions, including
the college financial conditions, and your offer to study at Oxford becomes
unconditional, we will send you the draft information to check before submitting it
to the UK Home Office. Once assigned, your CAS number and information will be
emailed directly to you. You will need the number and information from the CAS
for your Tier 4 visa application.

(ii) Evidence of finances: You will need to be able to show that you have enough funds to
cover your first year of course fees and a set maximum amount for living expenses.
This is a separate requirement to satisfying college financial conditions and may
require different documentation. It is your responsibility to check that you meet
the financial requirements for your visa application.

(iii) Evidence of academic qualifications: You will normally need original documentation as
evidence for the completed and awarded qualifications listed on your CAS for your
visa application, so you must make sure you have this available.

(iv) The UK Home Office Tier 4 information and guidance you receive from the University:
you must read this to ensure your visa application is successful. If your visa is
refused, you will need to pay and apply again, but please note that you may risk
being late or unable to start your course. It is your responsibility to ensure that you
allow enough time for your visa application.

Please be aware of the following restrictions:

Time limit on study in the UK

Study in the UK for international students requiring a visa is subject to a maximum time limit,
and it is your responsibility to check that your proposed study will not exceed this. Please see
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-on-application-for-uk-visa-as-tier-4-
student. The University is unable to sponsor a student if their study will exceed the time limit.

Bringing family members

Under current visa regulations you can only bring family members to the UK as your
dependants if you are a graduate student on a course of 12 months or more, or a government-
funded student on a course of 6 months or more. For further information, please see:
www.ox.ac.uk/students/visa/before/family
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Academic progression for UK Tier 4 applications

If you have already been studying in the UK, please be aware that in certain circumstances you
will only be eligible to apply for Tier 4 from your home country, not from within the UK. Please
see the academic progression section in this document:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-on-application-for-uk-visa-as-tier-4-
student or contact [email protected] for advice.

International Students: Pre-sessional Course in English for Academic Purposes

You may be interested in the Oxford University Language Centre’s Pre-sessional Course in
English for Academic Purposes. This intensive eight-week course starts at the end of July and
finishes in mid-September. Students can choose to study for four weeks in July-August or four
weeks in August-September or take both courses and therefore study for eight weeks. Further
details can be found at www.lang.ox.ac.uk/courses/pre-ses.html. These courses cannot be
used as a substitute for meeting the English Language Requirement.

Arriving in Oxford – advance planning

To help you with your travel plans once all the conditions of your University and college offers
have been met and the offer of your place is confirmed, please note that you will need to be in
Oxford in time to attend induction events for students on your course, which are expected to
begin on 28th September 2017. We encourage international graduate students to attend the
University’s Orientation Programme, which usually takes place at the end of September:
www.ox.ac.uk/students/new/orientation.

We strongly recommend that you read the section ‘Arriving as a new student’ on the
University’s Student Gateway: www.ox.ac.uk/students/new. This website contains a wealth of
information to help new students prepare for their arrival in Oxford. If you plan to be
accompanied by dependants (for example, a partner and/or children) while you are studying at
Oxford, advice and support is also available from this section, including welfare and childcare
information, and from the Student Union (http://www.ousu.org) website.