In this section
- Free twice-weekly Covid tests for students with no symptoms
- Semester 2 arrangements

Free twice-weekly Covid tests for students with no symptoms

During August (starting Monday 2 August), the University rapid Covid-19 testing centres will only offer home lateral flow testing kits for collection. The testing centres will not be running rapid Covid-19 tests on site during this time.

Home test kits can be collected from:

Harcourt Hill Campus, main reception, Monday-Friday: 10.00am-3:30pm
Headington Campus, JHB Building reception, Monday-Friday: 11.00am-3:30pm
Swindon Campus, reception, Monday-Friday: 8:30am - 3:30pm

Please continue to use lateral flow tests twice-weekly to help stop the spread of Covid-19: one in three people with Covid-19 does not display symptoms.

If you are not on campus you can access rapid Covid-19 tests (lateral flow) at a local NHS testing centre, by ordering them online or collect from a test site or a pharmacy participating in Pharmacy Collect.

International students and those travelling from overseas

If you have travelled to the UK from a "red list" or "amber list" country, you are required to quarantine on your arrival. Our Travel to the UK webpage gives you more information.

You must take two PCR Covid-19 tests during your quarantine. These must be booked pre-arrival and will incur a fee (prices range from £99-£395). You must book these via the dedicated government website. The rapid Covid-19 tests offered by the University DO NOT replace the two PCR tests you must take as part of your quarantine. Rapid Covid-19 tests will be available to you twice-weekly when your quarantine ends.

The International Student Advice Team can give advice to international students travelling to the UK and has a helpful Quarantine and Self-Isolation Guide, with advice on what you need to do and what you can do during your quarantine period.

Please inform Oxford Brookes that you are quarantining using the Coronavirus reporting form. See the Test and trace, reporting and self-isolation webpage for more guidance on this.

Book your tests

Test results

When and where to get rapid Covid-19 tests

The current locations and opening hours for the home Covid-19 test kit collection points are as follows:

Home testing kit collection from 2 August

Harcourt Hill Campus, main reception, Monday-Friday: 10.00am-3.30pm
Headington Campus, reception, John Henry Brookes Building, Monday-Friday: 11.00am-3.30pm
Swindon Campus, reception, Monday-Friday: 8:30am-3:30pm

Booked appointments, walk ins and home testing kit collection until 1 August

You can book your tests using our simple online booking system or visit a walk-in testing centre.

Booked appointments are available at our Headington and Harcourt Hill campuses. Walk-in tests are also available at these locations, subject to availability.

Harcourt Hill Campus, Brookes Union bar area, Westminster Square

Tuesdays: 9.40am-12.40pm (testing only)
Fridays: 11.00am-3.00pm (home kit collection only)

Headington Campus, reception, John Henry Brookes Building

Monday and Thursday: 12:20pm-4:20pm (testing and home kit collection)

Swindon Campus, reception

Monday-Friday, 8.30am-3.30pm (home kit collection only)

Last appointments are 20 minutes before close. Last walk-ins are 40 minutes before close.

If you are not on campus, you can access rapid Covid-19 tests (lateral flow) at a local NHS testing centre, by ordering them online or collect from a test site or a pharmacy participating in Pharmacy Collect.

How do I book a test?

During August, the University rapid Covid-19 testing centres will only offer home lateral flow testing kits for collection (see above for collection points).

You can access rapid Covid-19 tests (lateral flow) at a local NHS testing centre or order them online or collect from a test site or a pharmacy participating in Pharmacy Collect.

You should take two tests, three days apart, each week.

Do I need to pay?

No, the tests are free of charge.

If I have symptoms of Covid-19 what test do I book?

This test is aimed at identifying Covid-19 infection in those without symptoms (asymptomatic). If you have symptoms of Covid-19, please self-isolate and go online or call 119 to book a free diagnostic test. You should inform the University using the Coronavirus reporting form.

What if I develop symptoms after booking my test but before the test date?

You must immediately self-isolate and then book an NHS test online or by calling 119. You should cancel your booking on the booking system so that it can be allocated to someone else.

Where can I get my test?

During August, the University rapid Covid-19 testing centres will only offer home lateral flow testing kits for collection (see above for collection points).

You can access rapid Covid-19 tests (lateral flow) at a local NHS testing centre or order them online or collect from a test site or a pharmacy participating in Pharmacy Collect.

When are the testing centres open?

During August, we have home testing kits available at our Headington (reception, John Henry Brookes Building), Harcourt Hill and Swindon campuses.

Home testing kit collection

Harcourt Hill Campus, main reception, Monday-Friday: 10.00am-3.30pm
Headington Campus,John Henry Brookes Building reception, Monday-Friday: 11.00am-3.30pm
Swindon Campus, reception, Monday-Friday: 8:30am-3:30pm

Do I have to get a test before I can return to campus?

Students returning to Oxford Brookes should take a rapid (Lateral Flow) test prior to travelling back to university and two tests three days apart with the first test on the day of arrival.

About the test

The test is self-administered. The test involves rubbing a swab (similar to a long cotton bud) at the back of your throat and up your nostril. Some LFD tests will involve rubbing a swab up both nostrils only. Please check which type of LFD test you have before starting.

How many tests should I take? When should I take them?

You should ideally take two tests, three days apart, each week. Your first test should take place as soon as possible after you return to/arrive for the first time at campus or to your student accommodation.

Home tests show a result in 30 minutes.

Why should I take two tests? Isn’t one enough?

Although they give a result much more quickly, the lateral flow tests are not as sensitive as the PCR tests (that is, lateral flow tests cannot detect very low levels of Covid-19). By doing two tests, three days apart, the programme is more likely to identify anyone with Covid-19 than from a single test.

I’m self-isolating as a close contact - can I attend my booked test?

If you are a close contact of a confirmed case, you can attend your booked test but you must then immediately return to your accommodation to self-isolate. You should avoid travelling on public transport. If you have no other option than to use public transport, you should strictly observe social distancing measures, wear a face covering and wash hands thoroughly and regularly during the journey.

What are the tests?

The tests we are providing are a ‘lateral flow test’ that is quick to take and gives results quickly. This detects the coronavirus antigen that is produced when a person is infectious with coronavirus.

What sort of test is it?

There are two main types of test used to check if people currently have coronavirus.

The test that is being offered in this programme is called a lateral flow antigen test. This detects the coronavirus antigen that is produced when a person is infectious with coronavirus. These are quicker tests that produce a rapid result and do not require a laboratory to be processed.

If you’ve previously booked a test through the NHS, it is likely to have been a PCR test, and this looks for the virus’s genetic material (ribonucleic acid or RNA). These tests are currently more commonly used in the NHS for testing people with symptoms. They require a laboratory to be processed.

Why should I get tested if I have no symptoms?

You can still be infectious and not show or experience any symptoms, which means you could pass the virus to others. The lateral flow test is designed to detect the level of virus in individuals who do not experience and show any symptoms (they are ‘asymptomatic’). By taking a test, you will help to stop the spread of the virus, protect other people and save lives.

Why should I get tested - if I test positive I’ll have to self-isolate?

It is really important that we all do our bit to stop the spread of the virus and protect our friends, loved ones and other members of society. Taking the test will help us fight the pandemic and save lives. Stopping all contact with other people for a limited period of time to prevent them from becoming infected is an essential part of the fight against the virus.

I’ve already had Covid-19 - should I take this test?

The tests are recommended for all individuals without Covid-19 symptoms, including those who have previously tested positive for Covid-19 and completed their self-isolation 10 days ago or more.

If you have recently (within 90 days) tested positive for Covid-19, you are likely to have developed some immunity.

You are exempt from testing by both PCR and lateral flow (rapid) tests within 90 days of a previous positive test, unless you develop new symptoms.

However, you may choose to take a rapid Covid-19 test after the isolation period. If it is positive, you will be required to self-isolate for 10 days or longer if you are displaying symptoms. This should only be done after you complete the required self-isolation period.

You are still required to self-isolate if you are identified as a close contact of a positive case, even if this is within the 90-day window.

Is the test safe?

Lateral flow tests are validated technology (the most commonly known type is a pregnancy test), they are safe and the results are trusted. These tests have undergone rigorous testing and evaluation including at Public Health England’s research laboratories to ensure they are verified for use.

Will the test hurt?

It may be a little uncomfortable, but it shouldn’t hurt.

How accurate is the test?

Lateral flow tests are very accurate (highly specific), which means that only a very small proportion of people who do not have coronavirus will receive a positive result (false positive). However, in mass testing, because so many people without symptoms are being tested, there is still the possibility of getting a false positive result. If you receive a positive test result, you should book a PCR test to confirm the result either by booking a test online or by calling 119.

Test results

Home tests show a result in 30 minutes.

Anyone whose test returns a positive outcome will need to self-isolate for 10 days. From 30 March 2021, you will also need to book a PCR test (NHS Covid test) to confirm your positive result in accordance with Government guidance. Please also inform Oxford Brookes using the Coronavirus reporting form. See the Test and trace, reporting and self-isolation webpage for more guidance on this.

If you test negative but are identified as a close contact of someone who has tested positive, you should follow the instructions from NHS Test & Trace or from the Oxford Brookes Covid Response Team.

What happens if my test is positive?

If your lateral flow or PCR test result is positive you and your household will need to isolate immediately. You should self-isolate for 10 days from your first positive test. If you have a positive lateral flow test result you will also need to book a PCR test (NHS Covid test) to confirm your positive result in accordance with Government guidance. If you then test negative with the NHS test, you and your household can then leave self-isolation. You should inform the University using the new Coronavirus reporting form if you receive a positive test. See the Test and trace, reporting and self-isolation webpage for more guidance.

What happens if my test is negative, but I’m a close contact of someone who has tested positive?

If you test negative but are identified as a close contact of someone who has tested positive, you must continue self-isolation at home for a period of 10 days.

What happens if the result is unclear?

You only need to self-isolate if:

you have any symptoms of coronavirus (a high temperature, a new, continuous cough or a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste)
you’ve tested positive for coronavirus - this means you have coronavirus
you live with someone who has symptoms or tested positive
someone in your support bubble has symptoms or tested positive
you’re told to self-isolate by NHS Test and Trace or the NHS COVID-19 app
you arrive in the UK from a country with a high coronavirus risk.

If I test positive, will people I live with need to self-isolate?

If you have a positive test, anyone you live with must self-isolate until 10 days after the date of your first test or after your symptoms began (if earlier), unless they are participating in the specific trial of regular testing for contacts – in which case they will be given specific instructions on what they can and cannot do during this period.

If I test positive, will my contacts be traced?

If you have a positive test result, your contacts will be traced by NHS Test and Trace. They will be required to self-isolate until 10 days after their most recent contact with you, unless they are participating in the specific trial of regular testing for contacts – in which case they will be given specific instructions on what they can and cannot do during this period.

Why do I need to maintain social distancing if I’ve had a negative test?

After a negative test, an individual is still susceptible to becoming infected and spreading the virus. Respecting distancing when it is needed and other rules is the most powerful way of stopping the spread of the virus.

I have Covid-19

Home testing kits - collect from University testing centres

The University testing centres will be closed during August. You can collect rapid Covid-19 testing kits for you to collect and use at home from the receptions at Headington (John Henry Brookes Building), Harcourt Hill and Swindon campuses.. You won’t need an appointment to collect tests.

For home testing you will need to:

Collect your kit
Do your tests at home
Record your results each time with the NHS and the University.

Home test kits contain seven tests and full instructions are included. A video demonstrating how to do a home test is available.

We recommend that you register for an NHS account - this will help to speed up the result recording process as you’ll need to login each time.

You should record all test results - positive and negative - via the NHS Test & Trace website: the web address is provided in the instruction leaflet. You should also record all test results on the University’s new Home LFD (Rapid) Testing Reporting Form. You should submit test results within 24 hours of carrying out the test.

When recording your result on the NHS Test & Trace website, it is important to indicate that you received the test kit from Oxford Brookes University by selecting the specific test site ID you collected your tests from. You will receive this code when you collect your tests. All test results linked to universities are reviewed by the Department of Health and Social Care and the Department for Education.

The Oxford Brookes University rapid Covid-19 test (LFD) privacy policy now includes home testing.

Free twice-weekly Covid tests for students with no symptoms

International students and those travelling from overseas

When and where to get rapid Covid-19 tests

Home testing kit collection from 2 August

Booked appointments, walk ins and home testing kit collection until 1 August

How do I book a test?

Do I need to pay?

If I have symptoms of Covid-19 what test do I book?

What if I develop symptoms after booking my test but before the test date?

Where can I get my test?

When are the testing centres open?

Home testing kit collection

Do I have to get a test before I can return to campus?

About the test

How many tests should I take? When should I take them?

Why should I take two tests? Isn’t one enough?

I’m self-isolating as a close contact - can I attend my booked test?

What are the tests?

What sort of test is it?

Why should I get tested if I have no symptoms?

Why should I get tested - if I test positive I’ll have to self-isolate?

I’ve already had Covid-19 - should I take this test?

Is the test safe?

Will the test hurt?

How accurate is the test?

Test results

What happens if my test is positive?

What happens if my test is negative, but I’m a close contact of someone who has tested positive?

What happens if the result is unclear?

If I test positive, will people I live with need to self-isolate?

If I test positive, will my contacts be traced?

Why do I need to maintain social distancing if I’ve had a negative test?

Home testing kits - collect from University testing centres

How to link your test results to the University