Section 1: Student-College Contract

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Contract with the College

  1. As a student at the University of Oxford you will be a member both of the University and of one of its Colleges or Permanent Private Halls.
  2. You will have two separate contracts: one with the University and one with Merton College ("the College").
  3. The purpose of this contract ("Contract") is to set out the contractual basis for your relationship with the College, and to draw your attention to key terms.
  4. Your Contract with the College is made up of:
    1. The following:
      1. the terms and conditions set out in this document;
      2. the College Handbook;
      3. the accommodation contract;
      4. the letter (“Offer Letter”) from the College making you an offer (“Offer”) of a place
    2. The College Statutes and Bylaws, and rules, regulations and policies made under them (see clause 11)
  5. Your contractual relationship with the College will take effect from the date on which the College receives a copy signed by you of this Contract.
  6. Your Contract with the College is subject to the following:
    1. The academic conditions set out in your Offer Letter;
    2. The financial conditions set out in the Financial Declaration Form;
    3. Satisfying any requirements imposed by any department or agency of the United Kingdom Government including (but not limited to) any visa requirement;
    4. That any information submitted with or in relation to your application (whether to UCAS, the University, or the College) is true, genuine, accurate, and complete and does not omit any information you have been asked to provide.
  7. Breach of any condition has the following consequences:
    1. If the breach is discovered once you have accepted your Offer but before you have been admitted to the College under College Bylaw V.2, your Contract with the College may be terminated at the College’s discretion; or
    2. If the breach is discovered after you have been admitted to the College, disciplinary proceedings may be brought against you under Bylaw XI B and for these purposes the College shall be at liberty to treat the breach as having continued until discovery. This may result in sanctions including expulsion.

University and College Membership

  1. You must be a member of the University in order to remain a member of the College.
  2. Your continuing relationship with the College is linked to your continuing relationship with the University. Similarly, your Offer from the College is linked to your offer from the University. If you decline either offer, or if you fail to meet the conditions of either offer, you will lose your place at both the College and the University.
  3. If your University membership is terminated (e.g. for breach of University rules and regulations), your membership of the College will also end. If you are suspended by the University, or subject to other disciplinary or procedural measures, the College may take similar, or other appropriate steps.

College Statutes, Bylaws, Rules, Regulations and Policies

  1. By entering into this Contract you agree to comply with the College Statutes and Bylaws (as amended from time to time) and with the College Rules, Regulations and Codes of Policy, Practice and Procedure which are made under them. They include:
    1. The Merton College Handbook for Junior Members, as amended from time to time (“the College Handbook”). This sets out behaviour which is considered unacceptable by students and which may result in disciplinary action.
    2. other regulations governing your relationship with the College concerning your studies, payment of fees and charges, residence, conduct and behaviour: examples are regulations relating to examinations, the ownership and exploitation of intellectual property, harassment, the use of IT and Library facilities, health and safety issues and legislative requirements such as data protection.
    3. Any Health and Safety Instructions (‘HSI’) setting out standards of behaviour required of you during any pandemic, epidemic or local health emergency. The term ‘HSI’ includes any University or College code, policy or guidance, as introduced or updated from time to time, which sets out behaviour required of students during any pandemic, epidemic or local health emergency. Students are required to comply with any HSI as a condition of being permitted access to in-person teaching and facilities and failure to comply may result in loss of that access and/or disciplinary action.
  2. By entering into this Contract you agree that the College may take disciplinary action against you for breach of its Statutes and Bylaws and the College's Rules, Regulations and Codes of Policy, Practice and Procedure and any HSI as described in clause 11 (c) of this contract. Such action would take place under the appropriate College procedure and could result in sanctions including suspension or expulsion.

Your Responsibilities

  1. You are required to comply with College rules on:
    1. The College’s Statutes and Bylaws (as amended from time to time) and with the College’s Rules, Regulations and Codes of Policy, Practice and Procedure which are made under them and/or amended from time to time as set out in clause 11 above. These include (but are not limited to) the College’s rules on behaviour, IT usage, data protection and academic studies.
    2. Payment of fees and other charges being paid when they are due. You are responsible for any non-payment even if your fees are being paid by a third party. The University sets out its annual fees as a single figure as this is easier for applicants and students; however you should note that this is a combined figure for both your University and College fees, which separately form the consideration for your separate University and College contracts. This means that you are paying a set amount of your fees to the College for College services and a set amount to the University for University services. The College will collect University fees and transmit them to the University. For more details contact student.fees@admin.ox.ac.uk.
    3. Any measures or instructions given by the College or the University to reduce risk of transmission of any illness or infection and behave in accordance with any HSI. Without limiting that general obligation, reasonable measures may include an instruction by the University or the College not to return into residence, an instruction by the University or the College to leave residence, imposing specific requirements regarding personal protective equipment such as the wearing of masks, or specific safety measures such as use of sanitiser or distancing procedures. In applying such measures or instructions the College will take account of and adhere to its welfare policies in so far as it is reasonably practicable during the pandemic, epidemic or local health emergency.
    4. Immediately declaring to the College if you have any serious and easily transmissible infectious illness, and comply with any required health, testing, isolation or distancing measures or advice given.
    5. Obtaining an appropriate visa if necessary and abide by any visa conditions including maximum permitted working hours and the types of work allowed. Failure to do so may result in disciplinary sanctions in addition to any legal consequences. Support and information are available from the University's Student Immigration team and at www.ox.ac.uk/students/visa.
  2. It is your responsibility to progress your own academic studies. This will include submitting work when required to do so, meeting College and University deadlines and attending tutorials, classes, lectures, and other academic commitments.

Teaching Arrangements

  1. The College will make provision for students as follows:
    1. For undergraduate courses such teaching and other provision as it reasonably decides is necessary for their courses of study, taking account of any relevant departmental norms. Teaching may include tutorials, classes, seminars, and may be carried out by Tutors or other Fellows or Lecturers of the College, or by any other persons considered by the College to be suitably qualified. Teaching provision for specialist options is subject to availability and may not be provided in all cases. Some teaching will be delivered by the department and this will vary between Colleges. Given the variation in courses of study, it is not possible to specify a minimum amount of teaching for undergraduates in all subjects.
    2. For graduate courses (including research degrees) the College does not teach or deliver programmes but will make such other provision as it reasonably decides to support the pursuit of the relevant course.
  2. Where a pandemic, epidemic or local health emergency necessitating measures to reduce risk of infection or illness arises or has already arisen, the College may make such changes as it reasonably deems necessary to comply with government or local authority regulations or guidance by those bodies or by Public Health England, and/or its own health and safety advice and/or to ensure the health and safety of staff, students and third parties and/or to respond to consequential staffing or resource constraints. Changes made or required by the University may be communicated through colleges.
  3. Examples of measures the College may take in the circumstances identified in clause 16 include:
    1. Providing teaching, assessment or other services wholly or partly online or via other remote or virtual means;
    2. Moving the location of teaching and/or restricting student numbers permitted to attend any location at one time (including restricting numbers at libraries or lectures);
    3. Teaching at unusual times;
    4. Requiring students to comply with health and safety measures the College deems necessary which are specific to particular sites or activities, which may be in addition to any HSI;
    5. Staggering attendance by students so that for part of the term you are not allowed physically to attend the College;
    6. Varying, limiting or cancelling any course content, or optional modules;
    7. Varying, limiting or cancelling access to any University or College services or facilities;
    8. Varying, limiting or cancelling any learning experiences that would, without such circumstances, normally happen face to face or in-person (e.g. work in laboratories, museums, studios, music facilities or via fieldwork or work-placement);
    9. Varying, limiting, cancelling or putting in place measures to reduce the risk of any time due to be spent in education or paid work abroad (including the right to vary destinations for work or study abroad) as a mandatory or optional component of courses, including making changes as a result of health guidance or risk assessment applicable to overseas travel destinations and/or providing students with alternative educational provision. If a year abroad, or other placement, has to be cancelled entirely then this may include the right to move a student to a cognate degree course that does not include such a year abroad or placement.
  4. No refunds, discounts, damages or waivers of course fees or other charges will be payable to you where changes or delays have resulted from, been caused by, or are in relation to a pandemic, epidemic or local health emergency necessitating measures to reduce risk of infection or illness or by compliance with guidance from Public Health England or any relevant Government Department or Office.

Library and IT Facilities

  1. Subject to clauses 16 and 17 above, the College will provide Library and IT facilities in connection with your studies and on the conditions and at the times set out in the College Handbook or equivalent document, which may vary from time to time. Facilities may be withdrawn in the event of adverse circumstances beyond the control of the College. See College IT Regulations.

Accommodation and Meals

  1. Subject to clauses 16 and 17 above, the College will maintain a stock of residential accommodation that may be provided to you in connection with your studies and if so this will be provided on the terms and conditions and in accordance with the procedures set out in the College Handbook or equivalent document, and/or accommodation contract, which may vary from year to year.
  2. Subject to clauses 16 and 17 above, the College will provide meals on the terms and conditions set out in the College Handbook, which may vary from time to time.

Events beyond the College’s control

  1. The College will not be in breach of its obligations under its Contract with you, nor liable to you for any loss caused to you under its contract with you which results from events which are beyond the College’s reasonable control, such as: pandemic, epidemic, a local health emergency necessitating measures to reduce risk of infection or illness, industrial action, acts of God, acts of terrorism, the unanticipated departure or absence of key members of College staff, or failure or delay by third party suppliers and subcontractors. In such circumstances the College will take reasonable steps to mitigate the impact on you and to restore teaching and services.

Personal Data

  1. The College will collect and use information about you in accordance with the principles set out in the College Privacy Notice. This includes ensuring that your data will only be used in a way which is fair, lawful and secure. In addition, the University has its own privacy notice.

Complaints Procedure

  1. The College Complaints procedure including subsequent rights of appeal are explained in Appendix 8 of the College Handbook.

Jurisdiction

  1. Your contract with the College and any dispute arising from it (including non-contractual disputes) shall be governed by the law of England and Wales and shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the English Courts.