Schools & Outreach Programme

At St Hilda’s College we are committed to providing young people with the opportunity to study at a world class institution, regardless of background. To do this, St Hilda's has approached outreach with three main aims:

• Encourage students to achieve their best
• Inspire young people to apply to the University of Oxford
• Increase diversity

St Hilda’s is particularly keen to work with state schools and colleges to help students make informed decisions about higher education and applying to university, including the University of Oxford.

Oxford for the South East

In line with the University's Regional Outreach programme, St Hilda's collaborates with other colleges to provide support to schools in the South East. Please see Oxford for South East for further details. As an individual college, our link areas are Surrey and Hampshire (excluding Portsmouth, Southampton, and the Isle of Wight). If you are a state school teacher from these two areas and would like to be added to our mailing list, please sign up for our  Outreach Newsletter.

Applying to university can be a daunting prospect and here at St Hilda's College, we want to make sure that every student has the right support and information. We have a number of visits and events available for students to attend. 

School visits to St Hilda's College

We offer in-person school visits to St Hilda's to state schools in Surrey and Hampshire throughout the school year, subject to availability. These visits are free of charge. Please contact the Outreach team if you would like to arrange a visit and join our mailing list. A typical timetable is as follows:

Virtual School Visits

If you are a state school and are located in Surrey or Hampshire, the below virtual presentations can be booked, subject to staff availability:

1. Years 10-11 - University explained - this presentation is designed for those who have not yet started their A-levels. The presentation explores why you might choose to go to university, what it would be like to study at the University of Oxford, and investigates which subjects and grades you need to go to university (45 mins).
2. Year 12 - Oxford explained - this presentation is aimed at those who have started their A-levels and are starting to think about higher education. The presentation takes an in-depth look into what studying at the University of Oxford would be like, demystifying the application process, and how to work towards achieving your goals (60 mins).
3. Year 12 - Personal Statement workshop - this presentation is usually for those who have attended the Oxford Explained presentation with their school and have not yet started writing their personal statement. The workshop goes into more detail about the personal statement, gives some handy tips about what to focus on, and talks about what tutors are looking for (60 mins).

Tours (individual)

If you are unable to visit the college during an Open Day, we offer individual tours around the college, subject to availability. Tours are normally run by a member of the Academic Office; we do not normally offer meetings with current students, although student-led tours are available on all of our Open Days. We are not able to offer meetings with tutors, but tutors are available to answer questions at our 'Meet the Tutors' events on our Open Days. (Throughout the year, questions for tutors can also be sent to the Academic Office who will respond after speaking with the tutors.) Please email to book a tour or for more details. We kindly ask that you contact the Outreach team with at least one week's notice. If no-one is available on your preferred date, prospective students are welcome to  visit for a self-guided tour of the public College grounds.

Mailing list

If you are a state school teacher in Surrey or Hampshire (excluding Southampton, Portsmouth, and the Isle of Wight) and would like to join the teachers' mailing list, please sign up to our Outreach Newsletter. Members of the teachers’ mailing list are sent details of upcoming events from around the University and from St Hilda’s College, including upcoming available dates to book school visits.

How to find us

St Hilda's College is on Cowley Place, the Plain, which is just over Magdalen Bridge. The nearest park & ride to St Hilda's is Thornhill Park & Ride. The  nearest bus stop to us is St Clement's (a two-minute walk from the College).