University of Oxford, Hertford College Partnership

Looking for specific classes? Explore CHART, our exclusive class database—if the Oxford Hertford College Program is preapproved at your institution, you’ll find classes recently taken by other IFSA students.

View Hertford College's list of available subjects on their Visiting Students page.

Students take one primary (major) and one secondary (minor) tutorial every term. Students are not permitted to receive extra credit by taking two primary tutorials in one term. Butler University will award students 8 U.S. semester credit hours for each primary tutorial and 4 U.S. semester credit hours for each secondary tutorial. No credit will be awarded for additional work undertaken even if the Oxford College approves it.

Butler University will issue 12 U.S. semester credit hours for the Michaelmas (fall) term, 24 U.S. semester credit hours for the Hilary/Trinity (spring) two-term program and 36 U.S. semester credit hours for the academic year at Oxford.

Science and math students may be required to attend university lectures or to take one or more short tutorials. Regardless of the number of tutorials or lectures required, science students will earn the same number of credits (12 U.S. semester credit hours per term) as other students.

Early Start
IFSA students studying at Hertford College for the fall term only arrive in early September for a September Seminar in humanities or history. This month-long program helps students better understand the Oxford system in advance of the Michaelmas (fall) term. Fall students earn a total of 16 U.S. semester credit hours for the September Seminar and Michaelmas (fall) term.

Academic year students can also apply for the September Seminar (Early Start) in humanities or history and earn an additional 4 U.S. semester credit hours.

Participants live in Hertford College housing during the September Seminar and throughout the remainder of the fall term.

The September Humanities Seminar will be interdisciplinary within the humanities and include Oxford faculty from classics, English literature, and modern languages. Students will attend a performance by the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-on-Avon, as well as excursions to review primary source materials at various Oxford locations. Assessment will include a final research essay related to the topics taught in the seminar.

The History Seminar will examine political and social change between 1815-2015 in chronological order. Discussions in this seminar are intersectional and will provide stimulating and detailed exploration of British politics and culture from the 19th century to the current century. The assessment is either a single long research essay, or two smaller research essays related to the course material. The seminar is opened by a formal dinner at Hertford and finalizes with a traditional English cream tea.

Lab & Field Trip Fees
Please review syllabi and course materials when registering for direct-enroll classes. Certain classes may have a one-off lab or field trip fee disclosed in the syllabus or during the first meeting of the class. These fees are not included in your IFSA program fee. You will be responsible for these fees, whether they are billed and paid by IFSA or billed to you.