W&L Enters Partnership for Oxford Study Abroad Program
Washington and Lee University has signed a memorandum of understanding with Mansfield College, one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford, that will allow W&L students to take classes in England for a period of one year, in a select field of study, with an assigned tutor.
Mark Rush, director of international education at W&L, said the first round of nominations for the Mansfield Visiting Student Programme will take place in the 2016–2017 school year, with the hopes that the first group of W&L students will study at Oxford in 2017–2018.
“It’s just an outstanding opportunity to get the U.K./Oxford tutorial-based experience, which is quite different from ours,” Rush said.
The agreement puts Washington and Lee on the list of Mansfield’s partner universities, which also includes Barnard College, Boston College, Georgetown University, Wheaton College, George Mason University and the College of the Holy Cross.
Rush said W&L will nominate up to five students per year, and the nomination process will be highly competitive. The application process will be open to all students, but they must have at least a 3.7 GPA.
A faculty committee will be established at W&L to fine tune the details of the program. Rush said more information about the application process and the program will be announced in fall 2016.
Washington and Lee had a faculty exchange program with Oxford that was discontinued several years ago. Rush said this new opportunity is “a nice first step toward rebuilding a bridge with Oxford.”
