Billing 

For WEPO, students are billed for Williams’ tuition and housing right through their student account. This should be exactly what you pay normally each semester (if you are on financial aid, this is also included like it would be during a normal semester at Williams). 

Board, however, is discounted, and you will not be charged the full amount for board. This is because while you are at WEPO, there is no standard “meal plan” like you would have at Williams. While some meal costs are covered by the program (more information on this is below), you are also expected to buy food and cook for yourself the majority of the time.  

Financial Aid/Requesting an Advance 

Prior to arrival at WEPO, you will need to apply for/pay for a visa. You will also need to purchase a plane ticket to arrive in London (Heathrow Airport). If you are on financial aid, these two costs can be covered by financial aid. 

You should apply for your visa no later than June, and will have the opportunity to do this during pre-departure orientation in April.

The form to request an advance on your aid can be found here.

If you are on financial aid and would like to use an advance on your aid to cover airfare costs, please make sure to book through Egencia. If you book through Egencia, you do not need to complete the above form. 

If you are on financial aid and do not request an advance/book through Egencia (you choose to pay out of pocket for your visa/airfare), then these funds will be included in your aid package later on when financial aid is dispersed.

Please contact your Financial Aid Advisor directly if you have any specific questions regarding the advance request process or anything specific to your aid.

What is Included During Your Time at WEPO

Living in Oxford can be expensive, so we try to include as much as we can to help cover/subsidize some costs for you. Below is a list of things that are covered by the program (for all students; not just students on financial aid):

-       One group catered meal each week in term time

-       Thanksgiving group meal at Exeter College

-       £100 (per student, per term) on Oxford University cards for dining hall meals

-       Airport transfer from Heathrow Airport to Oxford for your arrival in September

-       £500 (per student, per year) for cultural activities, sports, language courses, museums, etc.

-       Bus pass for travel in Oxford during the academic year

-       Laundry and printing are free at the WEPO complex

-       Bedding and towels

-       3 different day group trips/excursions (locations tbd) including transportation, entrance fees, meals, etc.

Budgeting

The amount that each WEPO student will spend during their time in Oxford will vary greatly depending on the lifestyle of the individual student. We're providing some ranges so that you can have an idea of what you might expect. These are based on estimated cost of living in the UK, as well as feedback from previous WEPO students.

All USD costs are approximate based on current exchange rate.

• Week's worth of groceries for one person if you cook most of your meals at EWH: £70 ($88)

• 3GB data with unlimited calls/texts SIM card: £8 ($10) per month

• Lunch 'meal deal' at a grocery store, which includes a sandwich, chips, and drink: £5 ($6.30)

• Typical pub meal: £15-20 ($12-14.50)

• Lunch at Exeter College dining hall: £3-4 ($4-5.50)

• Dinner at Exeter College dining hall (informal dinner): £5-6 ($7-8)

• One-way bus ticket when you refill your bus card: £1.79 ($2.26)

• Bus to London (round trip): £18 ($23)

• Typical theatre ticket for students in Oxford: £12 ($14.50)

• Cinema ticket: £14 ($17)

You will not need to purchase things like textbooks for your tutorials, so your only real cost for your studies is any stationary you might want. Keep in mind that standard printer paper sizes are different in the UK than in the US- we use A4 paper- so if you like to use binders or notebooks, you may want to wait to purchase them when you arrive so that your local paper will fit in.