Tutorials are at the very heart of undergraduate learning in Oxford, and the foundation of teaching in every College is the tutorial system.

Undergraduates are expected to pursue a course of independent study under the guidance of their Tutors (the Fellows of the College), who set essays to write, problems to solve, or translations to be made, and provide constructive comment. Every undergraduate attends tutorials at least once a week. Tutorials usually involve pairs of undergraduates working with a Tutor in the Tutor's College room, and offer the opportunity for mutual exploration of a topic. The tutorial system is marked by its intellectual rigour, and by the flexibility and concentration upon the needs and interests of individual undergraduates, which the small number of participants makes possible. Its success depends upon the undergraduates, who must be ready to put forward their own ideas and contribute to the dialogue. The object of the tutorial method is to develop the habits of independent thought and rational argument.

Tutors carefully monitor the students' progress throughout their time at Lincoln, and try to ensure that clear guidance is given. They also take pleasure in the informality that the tutorial system allows. It is the duty of the University, not the College, to conduct the formal examinations upon which degree results depend. The Tutor is the student's advisor and ally, not judge or examiner. The bonds between Tutors and undergraduates can be close, even last for life. The tutorial system is about establishing a
personal relationship between teacher and student that will allow the student to produce their best. The relationship is not just about preparing and discussing assigned work. The tutor's responsibility extends to overseeing the general well-being and academic development of his or her pupils. Thus the tutorial system and the college system go closely together. Your subject tutor or tutors will monitor your progress closely, whether they are teaching you themselves or not. If there are difficulties, then they will react swiftly. In addition to this informal monitoring, there is a system of termly reports in which your progress is discussed.

The University offers a multitude of lectures and courses. Not all lectures are compulsory, but undergraduates are expected to attend at least those which are particularly relevant to their course at the time, and certainly those which their Tutors recommend. Science undergraduates must also undertake practical work in laboratories. Students are expected to read extensively during their vacations, not only to consolidate the work which they have done in the previous term, but also to prepare for the term to come.