Oxbridge Guide: Oxford Colleges
The University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge are the most famous universities in the UK; they are both extremely prestigious and notoriously difficult to gain admittance to, resulting in driven, competitive, and aspirational students and graduates.
To support students applying to these universities, we are publishing a series of articles on the admissions and applications process required, the courses available, and the universities themselves. In this article, we discuss the colleges open to undergraduate students at Oxford University.
Undergraduate Colleges at Oxford
Oxford University consists of more than 30 different colleges. Each is an academic community, where students will ordinarily have their tutorials. Each college will have its own dining hall, bar, common room and library, as well as other facilities. Each college will also have its own groups and societies for students to join.
Oxford colleges do not tend specialise in any particular subjects and most colleges will offer most of the university courses available. For further information on which Oxford colleges offer which course, please see here.
All learning activities relating to assignments, lectures and other work is organised by the respective academic department that runs the course, while colleges organise student tutorials and provide accommodation as well as other facilities.
Key considerations for which college to apply to involve general accommodation considerations as well as the atmosphere each college provides. Some colleges are more traditional in construction and outlook whereas others are more modern. Taking some time to research each college and identify which intrigue you most is highly recommended. If you have the opportunity, then visiting the college or at least viewing it online is a must. A virtual tour for each Oxford college can be accessed here.
The Oxford University Student Union have created a College Suggester which supports students in their consideration of which college to apply to by selecting the factors they prioritise and receiving suggestions of which colleges to consider. This can be accessed here.
Below is an alphabetical list of the colleges at Oxford with a link to each college’s web page.
For more advice or for a free personalised application plan, contact our team at info@libraeducation.co.uk.
We hope that this article will provide you with greater preparation for your application to study at the University of Oxford. We wish you success in the next stage of your academic career.