General FAQs
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We specialise in official Oxford University and Oxford college clothing and accessories. We provide everything from t-shirts, hoodies, and ties to crested souvenirs and gifts. We even offer academic dress (sub-fusc) for purchase or hire, as well as an i...
All our products are individually priced on our website. You’ll find affordable mementos for a few pounds as well as higher-end garments like jackets or wall plaques. Every item’s price is clearly displayed, so you can easily see the cost before you buy.
Yes, it’s very simple. You can browse our online store, add your chosen items to the basket, and then proceed to secure checkout. Once you’ve placed your order, we’ll process it within a few working days and ship your items to you (or prepare them for c...
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Our shop is located at 113 High Street, Oxford, OX1 4BT, right in the city centre. Through our online store, we proudly serve customers worldwide – we ship orders internationally too.
‘Sub-Fusc’ comes from the Latin meaning of ‘Dark/Dusky Colour’ and is the dark formal clothing worn for examinations and formal occasions at some universities, including Oxford University. It refers to the clothing worn underneath both the Undergraduate...
You can hire Sub-Fusc, but as you will need it for so many different occasions, it is far more economical and cost effective to buy everything to start off with.
If you are ordering online, you will need to measure your head and select the size. Measure around the circumference of your head just above your ears. Don’t worry if your mortar board doesn’t fit when you receive it, you can pop into the shop and swap ...
You can tie your ribbon in a bow (like a shoe lace) or a knot so it hangs down. As for bow ties, the ones in the packages are pre-tied and adjustable so they are nice and easy. If you would like a self-tie bow, we also sell these and they include instru...
No, you need a collar to be able to wear your ribbon/bow tie.
The gowns are fitted by length only, this is why we ask for your height when ordering. Undergraduate gowns should be jacket length and as a general rule, no longer than your fingertips. Graduate gowns should finish at the knee. Both gowns are worn open ...
The gowns for Sub-Fusc are quite simple, Undergraduate (also known as a Commoner’s gown) for Undergraduate Students and Postgraduate gowns or Postgraduate students.
There is no specific length for you skirt, however we would recommend it to be around/just about knee length.
A collared plain white blouse or shirt.A dark suit with dark socks/dark Trousers with dark socks/a dark skirt with dark tights/stockings.A dark coat/jacket if desired (worn underneath the gown)Black ShoesA black ribbon, black/white bow tie or long strai...
We’re open seven days a week. Monday to Saturday: 10:00 am – 6:00 pm. Sunday: 11:00 am – 4:00 pm.
You can reach us by email at shop@varsityshop.co.uk or by phone at +44 (0)1865 244000. Of course, you’re also welcome to visit our Oxford store in person during our opening hours – our team will be happy to help.
We accept all major credit and debit cards, including Visa, MasterCard, American Express, JCB, and others. (Please note that we don’t charge your card until your order is ready to ship.)
Right now we don't have a system to allow for online accounts, sorry.
I'm sorry to hear that! Can you tell me a little more about the issue and I'll get a member of our web team to look into this for you. [VISITOR EXPLAINS ISSUE] [IF IT'S A WEBSITE PROBLEM] Thanks for letting me know. I will get someone from the web team ...
Oxford University is made up of many individual colleges and halls – think of them as the academic communities within the University. Every Oxford student is a member of the University and a member of one of the colleges, which provide accommodation, su...
Yes – we adhere to all relevant data protection regulations (such as UK GDPR) and have a clear privacy policy in place. Protecting customer privacy is very important to us, and we make sure we operate in line with those requirements.
We take data security seriously. All online payments are processed using secure 128-bit encrypted connections, so your card details are protected and never stored in plain text. We also have a strict privacy policy – we do not share your personal inform...
We carry items for all 39 Oxford colleges – from the well-known historic colleges to the newer ones. We also include a few related institutions like St Stephen’s that are part of Oxford’s community.
No – we specialise exclusively in University of Oxford and Oxford college merchandise. Our store focuses on Oxford gear (though we do stock official Oxford vs Cambridge Boat Race items, we don’t carry general Cambridge University merchandise).
St Stephen’s House is actually a Permanent Private Hall (a religiously affiliated institution) rather than a full college of Oxford University. It’s closely associated with the University and is part of Oxford’s community, so we offer St Stephen’s House...
Yes – if you’re in or near Oxford, you can use our free Click Collect option. Just choose “Click Collect” at checkout, and we’ll prepare your order for you to pick up from our High Street shop at your convenience.
Yes, we offer worldwide delivery. We can ship our Oxford University and college merchandise to virtually any country, so customers around the globe can enjoy our products.
Absolutely – we’re happy to ship to the US. However, due to recent postage changes, you won’t see a direct US shipping option at checkout. Instead, please let me know your order details and delivery address, and I'll pass it onto a member of the deliver...
These are made-to-order or custom items that we don’t keep in regular stock – often customised with specific college details or non-standard options. Special order items typically take a bit longer (around 2–6 weeks) for us to receive from our suppliers...
Yes, we do offer some customised options. For example, we have custom college clothing where you can choose your college, colours, and other details (these items are made to order and fall under our special orders category). If you have a particular req...
If you’re not completely happy with your purchase, you can return it for a refund within 28 days of purchase, as long as it’s in its original condition (unworn/unused with tags). Refunds typically take about 3–5 working days to process once we receive t...
I’m sorry, but we cannot offer refunds or exchanges on items that are custom-made or specially ordered. Because those products are made to your specifications (like custom college sweatshirts or personalised items), they are non-refundable unless there’...
We do offer a next-day delivery option for UK orders. Just select the appropriate shipping method at checkout – please note that next-day deliveries will require a signature upon arrival.
We aim to dispatch orders within 4 working days of receiving them. Standard UK deliveries usually arrive within about 5–7 business days after dispatch. International orders typically reach customers within 2–3 weeks (depending on destination).
Yes – all of our merchandise is officially licensed by the University of Oxford and its colleges, so you can be confident it’s 100% authentic. We’ve been an Oxford outfitter since 1877, and we pride ourselves on offering genuine, high-quality products.
It depends on your country’s regulations. For example, if you’re ordering from an EU country, you might be charged local import VAT or customs fees upon delivery (since we don’t charge UK VAT on exports after Brexit). Any such charges would be your resp...
If something you’ve ordered isn’t in stock at the moment, we will back-order it for you. We’ll let you know and give you the choice to wait or cancel the order if you prefer not to wait. Note that we never charge your card for backordered items until th...
Yes, that’s absolutely fine, as long as it’s dark – it can be black, dark grey etc.
Yes – if you need a different size or a replacement item, you can return the original to us and request an exchange. Simply send the item back in its original condition with a note specifying the new size or item you’d like. We’ll process the exchange f...