Arrival section
This section explains steps all new students need to take in the lead-up to your course start in order of priority, from meeting your conditions, to registration, card collection, induction and welcome events in college.
Completion of conditions/Card form
When you have satisfied all the conditions of your offer (academic and financial), you will receive a completion of conditions letter and a university card form with details of how and where to return it. If you do not return the card form in advance of your course start date, you will not be able to start the online registration and enrolment process, which starts from 1 September and this will delay you receiving your University card, Oxford Single-Sign On account (SSO) and Oxford email address.
Please contact your department over the summer if you think you have fulfilled all the conditions of your offer but have not yet received your completion of conditions letter/university card application form details.
Activating your Oxford Single Sign-On (SSO)
Once your university card form has been received and processed (allow at least 5 working days), Oxford University IT Services will email you an activation code for your SSO account, which you will use to log in for the first time and set your own password, and also set up Multi Factor Authentication (MFA). If you have not studied or worked at Oxford before, the format of your SSO will be GRTE followed by 4 digits, eg GRTE1234.
Please ensure your contact email address is up to date as previous academic email accounts often expire over the summer, and check your spam folder for the University IT notification.
Previous Oxford students/staff
If you have previously studied or worked at Oxford, the SSO you were first assigned will remain the same, even if it is several years since your previous status. You will not receive a new activation code although you will receive a new GTC email address. The FAQs tab of the University’s Guide to Registration will help you troubleshoot if you cannot remember the password attached to your SSO, or if it has expired.
Useful webpage: Returning to Oxford
WiFi/Setting up a remote access account
In addition to activating your SSO account, you will also need to set up a Remote Access (eduroam) account in order to access WiFi in college and throughout the university. We recommend you set up your Remote Access account before arriving in the UK/Oxford if possible, so you can quickly access WiFi.
Useful webpage: Connect to the internet | IT Services
University registration
Online registration starts on or after 1 September through to the end of 1st week (Friday 17 October). All new students need to complete this step before the college can complete registration and release your university card. Please verify your details online using the university’s student self service and your activated SSO. You will be led through a series of screens so that you can check your personal and contact details are correct and provide any missing information. If you are not living in college accommodation, please enter your residential address and contact number here so that we know how to contact you in an emergency.
Useful webpage: Guide to registration | University of Oxford
College Contract
The college contract is now available in electronic format to sign and return on the To prepare before arrival page. This is a mandatory part of your registration with the college. By signing and returning this, you agree to abide by the College rules and regulations; see the Policies section.
International Students
International students can find useful information on the International Student Information page on coming to the UK and settling in at Oxford, including practicalities on travelling to Oxford from the airports through to orientation events and opening bank accounts. Alumni groups around the globe sometimes organise freshers’ events, typically in mid to late September, for new students embarking on their educational journey at the university. The International Office will notify relevant students of these events and will also be available for advice at the Oxford SU Freshers Fair. For information and advice on applying for visas from outside the UK, visit the University visa & immigration page.
Passports, visas and EU pre-settled/settled status (international students)
It is a UK Border Agency requirement that the College Office team checks all student visas and keeps a copy of your passport photo page for the university’s records. This includes students from the EU who hold pre-settled or settled status. We cannot release your university card or complete your enrolment until we have received these details. A secure online form for International students to submit their passport scan and evisa or pre-settled/settled status share codes is now available on our To prepare before arrival page.
Useful webpages: International students | University of Oxford Visa & immigration | University of Oxford
Registering with the College Doctor (GP)
All students should be registered with a doctor (also known as a General Practitioner, or GP) in Oxford during their studies. If you are not registered and fall ill at exam time or with a submission deadline approaching, there may be delays in obtaining necessary medical evidence. Our college GP is the Beaumont Elms Practice. Online registration can be completed ideally before you arrive in Oxford; our To prepare before arrival page includes a letter from the surgery, an introductory video from the doctors and link to register online. If this is the first time you have registered with the National Health Service (NHS) you will in time receive a follow-up communication telling you your NHS number. You do not need to wait for your NHS number to make an appointment at the surgery if you need one. More information about medical care, including arrangements for students with accompanying partners/children, and/or for students coming from overseas can be found in the Health and Welfare section later in this handbook.
Arriving at Green Templeton College
Most college, university and departmental induction activities start on Monday 7 October this year; this is known as ‘0th week’ or ‘freshers week’.
Some courses have earlier starts, for example Clinical (2nd BM) and graduate-entry medicine, PGCE, MBA, MFE and MPP students. Your start date should be stated in your first offer letter from your department. If you are in any doubt about the start date of your course, please check with your departmental administrator in the first instance.
Students moving into college accommodation must ensure that they have checked the earliest availability of their room with the Accommodation Manager before making travel arrangements. This is particularly important if you intend to arrive before the standard contract start date for your room. The standard start date this year is 26 September 2025 (except Flats 34-42 Rewley Abbey Court which start Friday 3 October). You will not normally be able to move into college accommodation before you have a confirmed unconditional offer, which means that you must have satisfied all academic and financial conditions.
Porters’ Lodge
The Lodge (or reception) on the main college site should be your first stop on arrival. It is open 24 hours a day, every day (except for short periods at Christmas and Easter). This is the place for you to collect your key if you are living in college accommodation (unless you have been advised otherwise by the accommodation team). If you are arriving for the first time late in the evening you will need to use the intercom as the main gate is closed at night. It is helpful to let the Lodge know in advance if you are expecting to arrive late in Oxford to collect your accommodation key.
You will have a designated pigeon-hole (mail box) in the Lodge where external post and important notifications will be stored for you – remember to check it regularly. If you live away from the main site you can have parcels sent to the Lodge instead of your accommodation if you prefer, as Lodge staff are there 24 hours a day saving you having to wait in for a delivery or missing it.
Note that shipments of personal belongings should not be sent to College before your arrival as we do not have enough storage space. Packages and larger shipments should arrive at a time when you will be able to collect them on the same day.
At the Lodge, you can purchase a laundry card (which you can top up online), soft drinks and memorabilia and get information about the college gym and sports facilities and how to book these. Free contraceptives and sanitary products supplied by our Welfare team are also available here, and a first-aid kit. Essentially, the Lodge is the first place to go if you have any practical queries or emergencies and our welcoming staff on duty have a huge source of knowledge about the city to help you get familiarised with Oxford. See the link below for the college address, location map and directions.
Useful webpage: Contact | Green Templeton College
Completing registration and collecting your University (Bod) Card
All members of the university are issued with a university card. This is sometimes called a ‘Bod card’ as it gives you access to the main university library, the Bodleian. The College office team can complete registration and leave your card for collection from the Lodge once you have met all conditions of your offer, returned your card form, signed the college contract and completed your part of the registration process online (see previous sections).
If you prefer to meet us in person to complete registration, collect your card and ask any questions, the College office team will also offer in person registration times from 1 September, these will be shown on our Offer Holders web pages and in August newsletters.
Your card will also allow electronic access to college spaces for students (eg the Library and gym), your department and university libraries beyond college, and once you are registered in full, serves as ID for a cashless, discounted payment system for meals at Green Templeton. You will also need to produce your card at all examinations. Our To prepare before arrival page includes more detailed information to read about your University card and what to do in the event that it is lost, stolen or damaged.
Note that you may not be able to collect your card immediately from the Lodge upon arrival, unless you have completed all steps of registration in advance. The Lodge staff may be able to issue you with a temporary key fob until it is ready to access college spaces.
Enrolment certificates
After all steps of registration have been completed (student and college office), you can generate an enrolment certificate as a PDF (to use as evidence for opening a bank account etc) using student self service (you will see a new ‘enrolment certificate’ link in your options after registration has been completed). Email welcome@gtc.ox.ac.uk so we can stamp and sign it electronically; please let us know if you require a hard copy. We aim to return these within 1-3 working days from your request.
Bank accounts
You will require a UK high street or online bank account while you are studying in Oxford. To open an account, you will need documentary proof of your student status, and most major banks in Oxford will now accept an Enrolment Certificate electronically which you can download from Student Self Service once you are registered. Some banks may require a letter from their college providing similar information – contact us at welcome@gtc.ox.ac.uk if you require this once you have completed registration. We cannot give recommendations for particular banks, but a bank guide is available on the University’s web pages for international students.
You are advised to bring sufficient funds with you to support you while you are opening a bank account, and also note that it may still take 5-8 working days after you have completed registration for student loan companies to transfer your funding to your account.
For further information including setting up a monthly ‘battels’ account (Direct Debit payment arrangement for rent and meals etc), please refer to the Fees/Finance section.
Useful webpage (finances and banks tab): International students | University of Oxford
Matriculation and Academic dress
Matriculation is a formal ceremony in which you will be admitted officially to the university. This year, it will be held on Saturday 18 October. All students who are new to Oxford must matriculate, unless you are on a non-matriculated programme at the Department of Education or you are a non-matriculated Visiting Student. There may be ‘in absentia’ arrangements for students on part-time or distance learning courses which your department will confirm with you. If you already hold a BA, MA or other qualifying degree from the University of Cambridge or Trinity College Dublin (TCD), you may choose to incorporate instead. To do this you will need to supply evidence of your previous conferred degree and pay a University of Oxford Incorporation fee. If you are not sure about your status, please contact the Deputy Academic Registrar.
You will be required to wear Academic dress for Matriculation (and at formal examinations if applicable once you are on course). Green Templeton has negotiated a discount for its students with Walters where you can order the academic dress you need and have it delivered to college in time for the Matriculation ceremony. For further details, an order form is now available on the To prepare before arrival web page. You are not obliged to order through this package and can visit the suppliers in person when you arrive in Oxford if you prefer. The other main gown supplier based in Oxford is Shepherd & Woodward.
We will email all new students in September with further details about Matriculation but please keep Saturday 18 October free in your calendars.
Useful webpages: Matriculation | University of Oxford and Academic dress | University of Oxford
Welcome events in college and university
Induction Presentations and College Life Fairs
The College organises inductions to introduce students to Green Templeton and the University soon after their arrival in Oxford. These are mandatory and held mostly in person, with a virtual session offered to our part-time/distance learning students. They are scheduled at times specifically set aside for college-led events, so there should not be any clashes with departmental activities. The dates are spread across September and October, to allow for space, earlier course start dates and at a variety of different times to ensure that they are as accessible as possible to all students.
The Induction presentations and college life fairs have been published on our college welcome events page and we will email students closer to upcoming events to remind them of relevant dates/times. Slides from the talks will also be made available after the events. The Induction focusses on College Academic, Financial and Welfare Support, with a presentation from the Senior Tutor, Academic Registrar and Deputy Academic Registrar with representation from our current students.
Two drop-in College Life Fairs provide an opportunity to meet other core college staff and students, including the GCR, various college-run clubs and societies, the Catering & Events team, Finance and IT.
Welcome Receptions
New students will be invited to one of two Welcome Receptions taking place on Wednesday 8 October and Friday 10 October this year, which will be an opportunity to mix and meet students, staff and Fellows of the college over drinks and buffet-style food. You will be contacted with further information nearer the time via email from the Green Templeton Deputy Academic Registrar. For now please save both dates if you can!
Meet-ups for student parents, partners and children
Green Templeton is a family-friendly college. We appreciate it can be an extra challenge to come to a new city with partners and children, and with this in mind we are planning a welcome event on Saturday 11 October to meet current students and other college members who are raising children in Oxford. This is an opportunity to meet other student parents and find answers to any questions you may have about family practicalities while living in Oxford. A drinks event for partners of new students is planned for Monday 13 October, from 18:00 to 19:00. Further details will follow closer to the time on both of these events.
Graduate Common Room (GCR) Events
All students at Green Templeton are automatically members of the Graduate Common Room (GCR). Elected representatives on the GCR Committee run social events and activities as well as providing support and advice and advocating for students about college affairs. The GCR Committee organises events at the beginning of term to help new students meet current students and each other. We will advertise these in later summer newsletters and on the Offer Holder web pages.
Grapevine is a weekly email sent out to all enrolled students by the GCR Publicity Officer; you will be added to this mailing list after you enrol. You can also submit your own events to be advertised this way.
Termcard – an up to date version and details of how to sign up to this will become available closer to the start of term.
The GCR also has an Instagram account
Oxford University Student Union Freshers’ Fair
Oxford University Student Union (Oxford SU) organises an annual Freshers’ Fair to which all new students are invited. The Fair showcases a huge range of student clubs and societies. This year, the dedicated timeslot for GTC students is Wednesday 8 October, 10:00 to 11:00, at the Exam Schools on the High St. Please bring your University card with you as ID. You can attend at other times on Wednesday 8 October or Thursday 9 October if this date and time does not suit. For a comprehensive list of all university clubs and societies, refer to this link: Clubs and societies | University of Oxford
Useful web page: College welcome events | Green Templeton College
