Advice for supporters of current students

The University website is updated with the University of Oxford’s term dates for each academic year.

Students on the Astrophoria Foundation Year will be required to be in Oxford for teaching in weeks 0-8 for all three terms.

In Michaelmas term, Astrophoria Foundation Year students will need to be in Oxford for their orientation week starting in week -1. In Hilary and Trinity terms, students may also have assessments in weeks 0 or 9, depending on their course.

At the University of Oxford, accommodation is arranged by the student’s college. Please contact the relevant college directly with any queries.

Students should be encouraged to have a conversation with the University’s Disability Advisory Service. Students need to approach this service themselves.

More information from the University of Oxford about the student fees and finance support that is available for undergraduates can be found on the University website.

The Student Finance website will signpost you to the appropriate system based on where you are from, as there are different systems for Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Jersey, Guernsey and Isle of Man.

If you have questions about the financial support students receive during their fully-funded foundation year please contact contact@foundationyear.ox.ac.uk.

More information about the city of Oxford can be found on the Oxford Visitor Information website.

More information about careers advice and support can be found on the University of Oxford’s Careers Service website.

There are many reasons why parents, carers, friends or relatives may be worried about a student while they’re at the University of Oxford. Students can feel far away from home and you may not be sure how best to help them.

The University’s Counselling Service offers useful advice and information.

If you would like to contact the Foundation Year Team directly, please email welfare@foundationyear.ox.ac.uk and a member of the team will contact you regarding your concerns. Below are some guidelines on what we can and can’t do to support you and your loved one.

What we can do

• Listen to your concerns and respond/take action accordingly, where appropriate.
• Talk through the support Wellbeing Services on offer.
• Discuss next steps to take in supporting your loved one.
• Explain the wide range of support available to students.
• Request your consent to inform a student of your concerns for them.
• Talk with a student about giving us consent to share with you.
• With a student’s consent, we can work in partnership with all parties to provide support.

What we cannot do

• Discuss any personal information about students at the University of Oxford without the student’s explicit and informed written consent – other than in exceptional circumstances as outlined in our Confidentiality statement. This is due to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), 2018, which all universities are bound to uphold. We recognise that this can be distressing and frustrating to friends and relatives, but we will still do our upmost to help while maintaining confidentiality.
• Inform you of any actions we take without the expressed consent of your friend or relative. This sometimes means we are unable to provide you with an update on our actions. Please be assured we take all concerns shared with us seriously and will always act in the most appropriate way to support the wellbeing and safety of our students.
• Force students to give us consent to share with their parents, friends or relatives. We do however have conversations with students about how giving consent to share can be helpful in ensuring they have support from their loved ones.

General links

Worrying about a student’s welfare, or witnessing a friend or loved one going through a troubling time or distressing experience can be upsetting and stressful. You may find the following external resources helpful:

Mind UK have useful resources for those who are supporting someone who is struggling.

Young Minds have a parent and carers support line for those worried about their child’s mental health, up to the age of 25. They are open 9.30am-4pm, Monday to Friday and can be called for free on 0808 802 5544.

The Look After Your Mate campaign, run by Student Minds, gives students the confidence and knowledge to support their friends while at University. You can download their Look After Your Mate Guide which provides tips and information for supporting someone who is experiencing mental health difficulties.