Dear high school seniors

Fifteen American students say they were misled into believing that a private college they attended in Oxford was part of the university. Perhaps they would care to peruse the prospectus for Rumpole Hall ...

Dreaming spires. Punting on the Isis. Passing the port at High Table. Old Tom ringing across the quads, bidding generations of scholars to gather up their books and learn. ... These are the unique sights and sounds of Oxford, a city dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge.

At Rumpole Hall, a shimmering jewel in Oxford's crown, you can acquire a direct lifeline to 700 years of learning. Though one of the city's newer colleges, we are counted among its most prestigious. Through our gates we welcome students from all corners of the world. Indeed, it is a matter of some pride to us that our graduates are dispatched many thousands of miles away when they have completed their courses of learning.

Set a short distance from the city centre in Cowley, Rumpole enjoys splendid views of the Oxford skyline, as well as convenient access to Britain's major motorway network. The college is also set apart somewhat in its exclusive selection of courses. No other college can offer "Five-Hoop Dreams: a cultural history of the Olympics" combined with such courses as "First steps in Finnish Impressionism" and "Women in the Novels of Jeffrey Archer" - all of which will earn you handsome credits towards your eventual US degree.

Our intensive learning programme means that we can compress our degree courses in a way not available elsewhere. Twelve weeks is all it takes. In addition, we have an "opt-out" policy that is the envy of many other colleges - our lectures and tutorials are exclusively for the students of Rumpole and no other college.

During your time at Rumpole, should you be lucky enough to obtain a place, you will find yourself accommodated in a traditional Oxford "set" - 30 bunk beds to a "dorm", with a large, hand-enamelled basin of hot water provided first thing each morning. Dining in hall is another of the great Oxford traditions and one that our weekly buffet supper ensures is maintained. The essential gown and mortar board that you will want to wear on these occasions is available in a "starter pack", complete with scarf, souvenir oar and matriculation certificate, from the college shop, price pounds 199.99.

Rumpole is an institution that could change your life. The fees for this unique experience, culminating in the famous, framed "Oxford certificate of excellence", are a modest $30,000. This is payable in two instalments, though should your parents decide to lodge the fee in full with our bursar before the commencement of term you will qualify for the following privileges:

nAccess to the banks of the renowned River Thames to watch the world- famous Oxford v Cambridge Boat Race, standing shoulder to shoulder with your fellow Oxford students.

n Permission to ride a bicycle on the streets of Oxford, at any hour of night or day.

n The right to study in, and read and borrow books from, the world-famous Oxford city library.

Bathing and punting rights in the River Cherwell.

n Permission to shop on the world-famous Oxford Street and Oxford Circus in London, access to which is strictly limited to graduates of the university.

We trust that you will want to share in the Rumpole experience. Let us do for you what we've done for a generation of Americans before you. Apply today.