Since 1985, select members of the Williams junior class have participated in the rigorous
year-long study away program at Exeter College, one of the thirty-eight colleges that make up the University of Oxford. For roughly twenty-five students offered admission to the Williams-Exeter Programme each spring, the year abroad is a rare opportunity for immersion in the intellectual, social, and cultural life of one of the world’s great universities. Over the course of the eight-week Michaelmas, Hilary, and Trinity terms of the academic
year, students participate in tutorial courses (individual or small group meetings that are supplemented with lecture courses and extensive weekly readings) spanning variety of fields for which Oxford is particularly noted such as English literature, history, philosophy, mathematics, sciences, politics, classics, and theology. Oxford University’s renowned Bodleian Library, which opened in 1602 and holds over eleven million printed items, is just one of many incredible academic resources available in a university that emerged in the eleventh century. During their time here, students are encouraged to join campus clubs, organizations, and athletic teams, and most Programme members take advantage of the more than 300 student organizations established at the university -- activities ranging from ballroom dancing and wine-tasting to rowing and rugby. Students also receive a cultural fund stipend to cover attendance at concerts, plays, museums, sporting events, and other cultural opportunities. Meanwhile, they reside alongside several Exeter students at the four-building Ephraim Williams House compound in North Oxford, just a short bike or bus ride away from Exeter and city centre.
