Visiting Scholar Status Applications

About the scheme

The Ruskin School of Art welcomes expressions of interest from practising artists, curators, early career scholars and senior academics working in Higher Education, who wish to pursue their practice or research for an agreed period, up to a maximum of one year, under Visiting Scholar status within the School.

Those granted Visitor status are expected to contribute to the intellectual and cultural life of the School during their visit.

Eligibility & Selection

This scheme is intended for exceptional researchers in the field of fine art (practical and/or theoretical) who cannot commit to a longer fellowship scheme such as the Leverhulme or British Academy post-doctoral awards, and/or those with at least a decade of high-level professional experience in the field of Fine Art. We would expect applicants to be of the same high calibre that these prestigious award schemes consider favourably.

Please note that due to the small size of the school, space, resources and staff constraints we can only accept visiting scholars into our research community on rare occasions, and only where a truly exceptional and outstanding candidate presents themselves for this highly selective scheme.

Currently enrolled PhD students prior to completion, are ineligible to apply.

Application process

Applicants should contact the Graduate Studies Administrator at graduate@rsa.ox.ac.uk for further information and an application form.

It is not expected or desirable that staff are contacted in the pre-application stage. The Ruskin's Research Committee will discuss each application collectively and if successful, a candidate will be assigned an academic contact for the duration of their stay.

Applicants should demonstrate how they propose to utilise Oxford's exceptional and diverse resources during a research visit. 

Timing

Applications should be submitted by the below deadlines. Earlier applications are welcome.

Michaelmas/Autumn Term
1st May, if no visa required
1st January or ideally an entire year before the start date, if visa required

Hilary/Spring Term
1st October, if no visa required
1st May or ideally an entire year before the start date, if visa required

Trinity/Summer Term
1st January, if not visa required
1st October or ideally an entire year before the start date, if visa required

Costs

Applicants must have independent funding for accommodation and living expenses for the period of their proposed visit, and are asked to pay a termly charge of £750 per 3-month term (or £2,500 for 12 months), as a standard bench fee. We are unable to assist with finding accommodation, college association, travel or visa arrangements. Visits would normally last between a term and one academic year.