He attended Leamington College and Rossall School, Fleetwood, Lancashire, between 1885 and 1889, then went to Balliol College, Oxford in 1889 to study theology, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1894. While at Oxford, Byles converted to the Church of England and later, like his younger brother William had done before, to the Roman Catholic faith, taking the name Thomas.
From 1885 to 1889, he attended Leamington College and Rossall School in Fleetwood, Lancashire. In 1889, he enrolled at Balliol College, Oxford for theological studies. He completed his Bachelor of Arts degree there in 1894. While studying at Oxford, Byles changed his religious affiliation from the Church of England to Roman Catholicism and took the name Thomas.