The Virginia Program at Oxford (VPO) is a Hampden-Sydney-sponsored, interdisciplinary summer school program based in St. Anne's College, Oxford University. The six-week program examines the literature, history and society of late-16th and early-17th century England. Instruction follows the English system of higher education, which combines daily lectures by renowned, British scholars with small, weekly tutorials. Students, drawn from a six-school consortium of small Virginia colleges and universities, earn three credits in history and three credits in English. Unlike many other study abroad programs, credits for these courses are entered directly onto your transcript and the grades are calculated into your GPA. Some financial aid is available, and federal grants and loans may be applied.

Program Dates: late June - early August (see VPO webpage for this year's specific information)
Estimated Cost: $8,500 (students may request funding within the application)

The Virginia Program at Oxford website

H-SC Eligibility Requirements

  • Applicants must be in good academic standing (2.5 or higher GPA) by the end of the fall semester before departure.  Please keep in mind that while VPO does not have a specific GPA requirement, the program is competitive.
  • The Dean of Students reviews the disciplinary records of all applicants. Students may apply while currently under probation, as long as their sanctions will be completed before their program begins. Students with problematic disciplinary histories might not be approved, whether they are currently on probation or not. Students placed on disciplinary probation after being approved or who have not completed all imposed sanctions prior to departure may have that approval revoked.

Coursework

Students earn direct credits (not transfer credits) which are calculated into their GPA.
Students accepted to VPO register for the following classes in Tigerweb in March/April when registering for fall courses.

  • ENGL 301: Literature of the English Renaissance (3 credits) - Required
  • HIST 307: Early Modern Britain (3 credits) - Required
  • INDS 250: Cultural Engagement in Study Abroad (1 credit) - Satisfies the Off-Campus COMPASS (EL) Core requirement - Enrollment in this course is not guaranteed

Applications

Due February 15
Please note that the application will ask you to upload four items. Downloadable forms and templates are available on the VPO website.

  1. Unofficial transcript (PDF of your TigerWeb version)
  2. Headshot suitable for an official ID card (jpg, png or gif files only)
  3. References:  The application will ask you to submit the names and email addresses of 2 personal references.  Once you have submitted your application, they will receive an email invitation with instructions.  References are due by February 21.

Deposits

The $250 deposit is due upon submission of the application and can be paid using one of these methods:

  1. Pay via credit card through Cashnet as part of the application
  2. Write a check out to Hampden-Sydney College and put "VPO" on the memo line; submit the deposit to the Hampden-Sydney business office.
  3. Use a credit card to pay in person at H-SC's business office.
  4. Pay via credit card through Cashnet in TigerWeb. If you use this method, you will also need to email the Global Ed director to make sure that the amount is correctly transferred to VPO.

Students from all years and majors are encouraged to apply. Announcements of acceptances will be made in early March.

For more information, please contact your campus sponsor:
Shirley Kagan | Department of Theatre | Hampden-Sydney College