Our doors are always open to schools and pupils interested in studying at Somerville.
Somerville is open to prospective applicants and offer holders; you can pick up a self-guided tour from the Porters’ Lodge when you arrive, or you can ask at the Lodge if there’s a member of the Academic Office or Access Office available to show you around. Members of the general public can visit us free of charge on most days, without needing to book ahead.
If you are a teacher, you can book a school visit for a group of students for next term using the following form, which includes options for schools to book both in-person and virtual visits:
Book a school visit (Virtual or In-Person)
We participate in the university-wide open days in June/July and September and host visits from schools each week during term time. We also host annual Year 12 Study Days and collaborate in university-wide Remote Interview Workshops in November for state school applicants from disadvantaged backgrounds to help demystify the interview process. See below for more information.
Open Days (In-Person) 2022
The University hosts Open Days for prospective applicants at the end of the summer term and the beginning of the autumn term. In 2022 these were on 29th and 30th June and 16th September.
At an in-person Open Day, our team of warm and friendly student helpers will be on hand to guide you around the College and give you a first-hand account of life at Somerville. There’ll also be talks to help you learn more about the subject you’re interested in applying for.
Here is a timetable from last year’s open days:
College Opening Hours: 08:45-17:00
Free drop-in tours led by current Somerville students: 09:00-16:45
Admissions talk by Tutor for Admissions: 09.00-09.45 in Flora Anderson Hall. He will be available to chat to prospective applicants all day. Our Welfare Officer and Disabilities Lead, Jo Ockwell, will also be available to talk to on request.
Meet the tutors drop-in available from 12.30-14.00. An opportunity to meet one of the Somerville tutors in the subject of your choice!
The Director of Chapel Music will be available in the Chapel to discuss Choral Scholarships and the College Choir on 29th June, from 11-1pm and 2-4pm.
Refreshments:
There will be a free sandwich lunch from 12:30-14:00 in the Flora Anderson Hall. Tea & coffee will also be available throughout the day.
Accommodation
We do have some B&B rooms available in Somerville, which can be booked through our Bed & Breakfast page from August onwards. If you live over 70 miles away from Oxford and attend a state school, you may book from July onwards and we can provide you with a discount – please contact our Access & Outreach team if you are eligible.
If you wish to arrange a personal or school group visit to Somerville at another time, please contact our Access & Outreach team.
Virtual Open Days 2021
Our Virtual Open Days included a range of live video and typed Q&As with students and tutors across college and the wider university. The last virtual open day was on September 17th, 2021.
You can learn more about our Virtual Open Days by watching some of the videos from our previous Open Days, held in September, June and July 2021 and 2020. The videos below all contain chapter segments, so you can skip ahead to the subject Q&A you’re most interested in.
Virtual Open Days 2021
17th September 2021
September Virtual Open Day 2021
The above video contains subject-specific advice from tutors and students in Maths, Computer Science, Classics, Classical Archaeology and Anthropology, Ancient and Modern History, Medicine and Psychology.
30th June 2021
The above video contains a welcome from our Senior Tutor as well as subject-specific advice from tutors in Maths, Law, Medicine, Physics, Computer Science and Biochemistry.
1st July 2021
The second of our Virtual Open Days 2021 contains subject-specific advice from tutors in Engineering, English, Biology, Music, History, Linguistics and PPE.
Virtual Open Days 2020
VIRTUAL OPEN DAYS 2020 – DAY 1
The above video contains subject-specific advice from tutors and students in English, Physics, Biochemistry, PPE, Biology, Classics/Ancient History, Linguistics, Chemistry, Law, History, Engineering, and Maths.
VIRTUAL OPEN DAYS 2020 – DAY 2
The above video contains subject-specific advice from tutors and students in Psychology, Music, Maths, Computer Science, Medicine, French, Biology, and Philosophy.
VIRTUAL OPEN DAYS 2020 – DAY 3
The above video contains subject-specific advice from tutors and students in Maths, Physics, History, English, Computer Science, Psychology and Medicine.
Oxford Remote Interview Workshops
Somerville is one of the colleges which participates in the University-wide Remote Interview Workshops, which are held in November following applications but before the invitations to interview are sent out.
These are run for Oxford applicants from disadvantaged backgrounds on Microsoft Teams, and involve general admissions guidance, as well as subject-specific workshops and Q&A opportunities with tutors and current students.
The subject workshops may include mock interviews, discussion of sample questions, and advice about what interviewing tutors are looking for.
More information will be sent out to eligible candidates nearer the time.
Year 12 Study Days
Somerville is host an annual series of Virtual Study Days. These are open to all Year 12 students currently at a UK state school or college. They are entirely free of charge.
The Study Days will feature taster lectures or workshops run by Oxford University academics, which will offer a challenging and entertaining introduction to university-level study of the subject.
The sessions are open to all Year 12 students at a UK State School who are taking a related subject, and/or are thinking about going on to study a related subject at university. There will also be opportunities to hear advice from admissions and outreach staff about applying to Oxford and Cambridge, and to ask the college tutors and current undergraduates questions about their subject of interest.
The 2023 Study Days have now taken place and the dates for the 2024 Study Days will be released next year.
Virtual Tour
Can’t wait until Open Days to have a look around? Luckily, thanks to our Interactive Map Tour, you won’t need to.
TAKE a Virtual Tour of Somerville
Or you can watch our Access Support Officer’s tour below:
You can also watch our students’ virtual tour videos to see college through their eyes and to see some of our first year accommodation:
Watch our students’ Virtual Tour
Watch our students’ Bedroom Tours
Join the Somerville Mailing List
School teachers may be interested in joining our mailing list in order to find out about the opportunities offered by Somerville and other parts of the University to learn more about studying at Somerville and Oxford.
Please email us at access@some.ox.ac.uk if you’d like to receive our regular newsletter or call 01865 270592 to find out more about applying to Somerville and organise a visit.
You can also find out about the latest outreach events by following us on Twitter.
Open Day Highlights 2022
