The School has always been pleased to welcome mature students, who bring invaluable life skills and wider horizons to the study of English.

Our first year is a preparatory year. This enables mature students, who have often taken a break from education, to develop their reading and essay-writing skills. By the second year, mature students often have the confidence to take a leading role in seminars, and the third year results regularly show a mature student among the top prizewinners.

The Students' Union runs an active Mature Student Society and University Welfare gives them priority in accessing funds and advice about childcare.