Colleges of the University of Oxford

Aerial view of many of the colleges of the University of Oxford

The University of Oxford has 38 Colleges and 6 Permanent Private Halls (PPHs) of religious foundation. Colleges and PPHs are autonomous self-governing corporations within the university, and all teaching staff and students studying for a degree at the university must belong to one of the colleges or PPHs. These colleges are not only houses of residence, but have substantial responsibility for student teaching. Generally tutorials (one of the main methods of teaching in Oxford) and classes are the responsibility of colleges, while lectures, examinations, laboratories and the central library are run by the university. Most colleges take both graduates and undergraduates, but several are for graduates only.

Undergraduate and graduate students may name preferred colleges in their applications. For undergraduate students, an increasing number of departments practise reallocation to ensure that the ratios between potential students and subject places available at each college are as uniform as possible. For the Department of Physics, reallocation is done on a random basis after a shortlist of candidates is drawn upon and before candidates are invited for interviews at the university.^[1]

For graduate students, many colleges express a preference for candidates who plan to undertake research in an area of interest of one of its fellows. St Hugh's College, for example, states that it accepts graduate students in most subjects, principally those in the fields of interest of the Fellows of the college.^[2]

A typical college consists of a hall for dining, a chapel, a library, a college bar, senior, middle (postgraduate) and junior common rooms, rooms for 200–400 undergraduates as well as lodgings for the head of the college and other dons. College buildings range from the medieval to modern buildings, but most are made up of interlinked quadrangles (courtyards), with a lodge controlling entry from the outside.

2008 saw the first modern merger of colleges, with Green College and Templeton College merging to form Green Templeton College. This reduced the number of Colleges of the University from 39 to 38.^[3] The number of PPHs also reduced in 2008, when Greyfriars closed down.^[4]

Brasenose College in the 1670s

History

The University of Oxford's collegiate system arose because the university came into existence through the gradual agglomeration of independent institutions in the city of Oxford.

The first academic houses were monastic halls. Of the dozens that were established in Oxford during the 12th to 15th centuries, none survived the Reformation. The modern Dominican permanent private hall of Blackfriars (1921) is a descendant of the original (1221), and is therefore sometimes described as heir to the oldest tradition of teaching in Oxford.

As the University took shape, friction between the hundreds of students living where and how they pleased led to a decree that all undergraduates would have to reside in approved halls. Of the hundreds of Aularian houses (from the Latin for "hall") that sprang up across the city, only St Edmund Hall (c 1225) remains. What put an end to the halls was the emergence of colleges. Often generously endowed and with permanent teaching staff, the colleges were originally the preserve of graduate students. However, once they began accepting fee-paying undergraduates in the 14th century, the halls' days were numbered.

The oldest of Oxford's colleges are University College, Balliol, and Merton, established between 1249 and 1264, although there is some dispute over the exact order and precisely when each began teaching. The fourth oldest college is Exeter, which was founded in 1314 and the fifth is Oriel, which was founded in 1326. The most recent new foundation is Kellogg College, founded in 1990, while the most recent overall is Green Templeton College, 2008 (the result of a merger of two existing colleges).

Women entered the university for the first time in 1878, becoming members of the University (and thus eligible to receive degrees) in 1920. Women's colleges before integration included Somerville College, St Anne's, St Hugh's, and Lady Margaret Hall. All colleges are now co-educational, although one of the Permanent Private Halls, St Benet's Hall, only accepts men. St Hilda's decided to accept male members at all levels from 2008. Some colleges, such as St Cross and Linacre, accept only graduate students. All Souls College accepts only Fellows. Harris Manchester College accepts only "mature students" with a minimum age of 21.^[5]

List of colleges

Name	Foundation	Sister college at Cambridge	Total assets[6]	Financial endowment[6]	Undergraduates[7]	Postgraduates[7]	Visiting students[7]	Total students[7]	Assets per student
All Souls College	1438	Trinity Hall	£319,613,000[8]	£286,425,000	0	8	0	8	£34,357,000
Balliol College	1263	St John's College	£101,564,000[9]	£80,730,000	387	325	2	714	£120,000
Brasenose College	1509	Gonville and Caius College	£127,464,000[10]	£106,712,000	364	205	4	573	£193,000
Christ Church	1546	Trinity College	£322,553,000[11]	£310,052,000	434	188	0	622	£519,000
Corpus Christi College	1517	Corpus Christi College	£99,504,000[12]	£87,874,000	252	98	2	352	£283,000
Exeter College	1314	Emmanuel College	£68,650,000[13]	£48,763,000	337	216	27	580	£118,000
Green Templeton College	2008	St Edmund's College	£49,192,000[14]	£27,222,000	95	427	0	522	£94,000
Harris Manchester College	1786 College: 1996	Homerton College	£15,329,000[15]	£6,808,000	98	116	2	216	£56,000
Hertford College	1282 College: 1740	None	£57,454,000[16]	£42,647,000	409	266	28	624	£92,000
Jesus College	1571	Jesus College	£148,872,000[17]	£124,001,000	353	171	2	526	£283,000
Keble College	1870	Selwyn College	£54,643,000[18]	£27,425,000	443	224	6	673	£81,000
Kellogg College	1990 College: 1994	None	[note 1]		0	795	0	795
Lady Margaret Hall	1878	Newnham College	£52,276,000[19]	£29,564,000[20]	401	203	23	627	£83,000
Linacre College	1962	Hughes Hall	£22,298,000[21]	£10,432,000	0	408	0	408	£55,000
Lincoln College	1427	Downing College	£128,644,000[22]	£98,494,000	306	291	4	580	£149,000
Magdalen College	1458	Magdalene College	£211,743,000[23]	£182,003,000	411	184	6	601	£291,000
Mansfield College	1886 College: 1995	Homerton College	£16,707,000[24]	£9,593,000	214	102	36	352	£47,000
Merton College	1264	Peterhouse	£232,932,000[25]	£212,788,000	276	278	1	592	£329,000
New College	1379	King's College	£205,955,000[26]	£181,075,000	441	285	18	744	£219,000
Nuffield College	1937	None	£153,253,000[27]	£136,046,000	0	94	1	95	£1,613,000
Oriel College	1326	Clare College (Trinity College, Dublin)	£48,288,000[28]	£42,514,000	306	180	3	489	£99,000
Pembroke College	1624	Queens' College	£83,474,000[29]	£43,983,000[29]	354	190	32	576	£145,000
The Queen's College	1341	Pembroke College	£201,368,000[30]	£157,098,000	348	113	5	466	£432,000
Somerville College	1879	Girton College	£56,635,000[31]	£40,110,000	394	131	0	525	£108,000
St Anne's College	1878 College: 1952	Murray Edwards College	£45,945,000[32]	£29,352,000	428	281	30	739	£62,000
St Antony's College	1950 College: 1963	Wolfson College	£44,734,000[33]	£29,842,000	0	432	2	434	£103,000
St Catherine's College	1963	Robinson College	£58,041,000[34]	£40,582,000	487	268	44	799	£73,000
St Cross College	1965	Clare Hall	£13,100,000[35]		0	534	0	534	£21,910
St Edmund Hall	1226 College: 1957	Fitzwilliam College	£46,314,000[36]	£33,190,000	427	230	21	678	£68,000
St Hilda's College	1893	Peterhouse	£45,278,000[37]	£37,309,000	395	189	1	585	£77,000
St Hugh's College	1886	Clare College	£41,685,000[38]	£22,192,000	430	255	1	686	£61,000
St John's College	1555	Sidney Sussex College	£386,943,000[39]	£340,701,000	392	194	3	589	£657,000
St Peter's College	1929 College: 1961	None	£29,988,000[40]	£25,257,000	336	115	25	476	£63,000
Trinity College	1555	Churchill College	£126,300,000[41]	£104,202,000	305	105	0	410	£254,000
University College	1249	Trinity Hall	£130,898,000[42]	£102,895,000	372	221	0	593	£221,000
Wadham College	1610	Christ's College	£109,099,000[43]	£80,894,000	448	128	31	607	£179,000
Wolfson College	1966 College: 1981	Darwin College	£45,764,000[44]	£30,404,000	0	548	0	548	£84,000
Worcester College	1714	St Catharine's College	£31,793,000[45]	£15,512,000	412	180	16	609	£52,000

List of Permanent Private Halls

Name	Foundation	Sister hall at Cambridge	Religious affiliation	Total assets	Financial endowment	Undergraduates[7]	Postgraduates[7]	Visiting students[7]	Total students[7]	Assets per student
Blackfriars	1221 Refounded: 1921	None	Catholic (Dominican)	[note 1]		8	21	13	42
Campion Hall	1896	None	Catholic (Jesuit)	[note 2]		0	7	0	7
Regent's Park College	1752 Moved to Oxford: 1927	None	Baptist	£3,371,000[46]	£1,286,000	105	53	11	169	£20,000
St Benet's Hall	1897	None	Catholic (Benedictine)	[note 3]		53	9	2	64
St Stephen's House	1876 PPH: 2003	None	Anglican	£8,099,000[47]	£176,000	21	36	0	57	£142,000
Wycliffe Hall	1877	Ridley Hall	Anglican	£5,763,000[48]	£800,000	97	27	50	174	£33,000

College and permanent private hall arms and colours

Each college and permanent private hall has its own arms, although in some cases these were assumed rather than granted by the College of Arms. Under King Henry VIII Oxford colleges were granted exemption from having their arms granted by the College of Arms; and some, like Lady Margaret Hall, have chosen to take advantage of this exemption, whilst others, such as Oriel, despite having used the arms for many centuries, have recently elected to have the arms granted officially. The blazons below are taken from the Oxford University Calendar^[49] unless otherwise indicated. Shields are emblazoned as commonly drawn, and notable inconsistencies between blazons and emblazons (the shields as drawn) are indicated.

Each college also has its own colours used on items such as academic scarves and rowing blades.

College	Arms	Blazon	Scarf	Blades
All Souls College		Or, a chevron between three cinquefoils gules.
Balliol College		Azure a lion rampant argent, crowned or, impaling gules, an orle argent.
Brasenose College		Tierced in pale: (1) Argent, a chevron sable between three roses gules seeded or, barbed vert (for Smyth); (2) or, an escutcheon of the arms of the See of Lincoln (gules, two lions of England in pale or, on a chief azure Our Lady crowned seated on a tombstone issuant from the chief, in her dexter arm the Infant Jesus, in her sinister arm a sceptre, all or), ensigned with a mitre proper; (3) quarterly, first and fourth argent, a chevron between three bugle-horns stringed sable; second and third argent, a chevron between three crosses crosslet sable (for Sutton).[lower-alpha 1]
Christ Church		Sable, on a cross engrailed argent, a lion passant gules between four leopards' faces azure, on a chief or a rose of the third, seeded or, barbed vert, between two Cornish choughs proper.
Corpus Christi College		Tierced per pale: (1) Azure, a pelican with wings endorsed vulning herself or; (2) Argent, thereon an escutcheon charged with the arms of the See of Winchester (i.e. gules, two keys addorsed in bend, the uppermost or, the other argent, a sword interposed between them in bend sinister of the third, pommel and hilt gold; the escutcheon ensigned with a mitre of the last); (3) Sable, a chevron or between three owls argent, on a chief of the second as many roses gules, seeded of the second, barbed vert.
Exeter College		Argent, two bends nebuly within a bordure sable charged with eight pairs of keys, addorsed and interlaced in the rings, the wards upwards, or.
Green Templeton College		Or between two flaunches vert on each a nautilus shell the aperture outwards or a rod of Aesculapius sable the serpent azure.
Harris Manchester College		Gules, two Torches inflamed in saltire proper; on a Chief Argent, between Two Roses of a field barbed and seeded an open Book also proper.
Hertford College		Gules, a stag's head caboshed argent, attired, and between the attires a cross patty fitchy at the foot, or.
Jesus College		Vert, three stags trippant argent attired or.
Keble College		Argent, a chevron engrailed gules, on a chief azure three mullets pierced or.
Kellogg College		Per pale indented argent and azure on the argent a chevron enhanced gules in base a book azure leaved argent on the azure an ear of wheat palewise or the whole within a bordure gules.
Lady Margaret Hall		Or, on a chevron between in chief two talbots passant and in base a bell all azure, a portcullis of the field.
Linacre College		Sable an open Book proper edged or bound gules the dexter page charged with the Greek letter alpha the sinister page charged with the Greek letter omega both sable the whole between three escallops argent.
Lincoln College		Tierced per pale: (1) Barry of six argent and azure, in chief three lozenges gules, on the second bar of an argent a mullet pierced sable; (2) Argent, thereon an escutcheon of the arms of the See of Lincoln (i.e., Gules, two lions passant guardant or, on a chief azure the Blessed Virgin Mary ducally crowned seated on a throne issuant from the chief, on her dexter arm the infant Jesus and holding in her sinister hand a sceptre, all gold; the escutcheon ensigned with a mitre azure garnished and stringed or); (3) Vert, three stags trippant argent attired or.[lower-alpha 2]
Magdalen College		Lozengy ermine and sable, on a chief of the second three lilies argent slipped and seeded or.
Mansfield College		Gules an open book proper inscribed DEUS LOCUTUS EST NOBIS IN FILIO in letters sable bound argent edged and clasped or between three cross crosslets or.
Merton College		Or, three chevronels party per pale, the first and third azure and gules, the second gules and azure.
New College		Argent, two chevronels sable between three roses gules, seeded or, barbed vert.
Nuffield College		Ermine on a fesse or between in chief two roses gules barbed and seeded proper and in base a balance of the second three pears sable, and for crest on a wreath or and gules a demi bull gules armed and unguled or resting the sinister hoof on a winged wheel or.[lower-alpha 3]
Oriel College		Gules, three lions passant guardant in pale or within a bordure engrailed argent.
Pembroke College		Per pale azure and gules, three lions rampant, two and one, argent, on a chief per pale argent and or, in the first a rose gules, seeded or, barbed vert in the second a thistle of Scotland proper.
The Queen's College		Argent, three eagles displayed two and one gules, legged and beaked or, on the breast of the first eagle, a pierced mullet of the third as cadency mark.[lower-alpha 4]
Somerville College		Argent, three mullets in chevron reversed gules, between six crosses crosslet fitched sable.
St Anne's College		Gules, on a chevron between in chief two lions' heads erased argent, and in base a sword of the second pummelled and kilt or and enfiled with a wreath of laurel proper, three ravens.
St Antony's College		Or on a chevron between three tau crosses gules as many pierced mullets of the field.
St Catherine's College		Sable a saltire ermine between four Catherine wheels or.
St Cross College		Argent a cross potent purpure a quarter counterchanged.
St Edmund Hall		Or, a cross patonce gules cantoned by four Cornish choughs proper.
St Hilda's College		Azure on a fess or between in chief two unicorns' heads couped and in base a coiled serpent argent three estoiles gules.
St Hugh's College		Azure a saltire ermine between four fleurs-de-lis or.
St John's College		Gules, on a bordure sable eight estoiles or; on a canton ermine a lion rampant of the second; on the fess point an annulet of the third.
St Peter's College		Per pale vert and argent, to the dexter two keys in saltire or surmounted by a triple towered castle argent masoned sable (representing Oxford bailey) and on the sinister a cross gules surmounted by a mitre or between four martlets sable (for Chavasse), the whole within a bordure or.
Trinity College		Party per pale or and azure, on a chevron between three griffins heads erased four fleurs-de-lys, all counter-changed of the field.
University College		Azure, a cross patonce between five martlets or.
Wadham College		Gules, a chevron between 3 roses argent, seeded or, barbed vert, impaling gules, a bend or between two escallops argent.
Wolfson College		Per pale gules and or on a chevron between three roses two pears all countercharged the roses barbed and seeded proper.
Worcester College		Argent, two chevronels between six martlets, three, two and one gules.[lower-alpha 5]
Blackfriars		Gyronny of sable and argent, a cross flory counterchanged.[lower-alpha 6]
Campion Hall		Argent on a cross sable a plate charged with a wolf's head erased of the second between in pale two billets of the Weld that in chief charged with a cinquefoil and that in base with a saltire gules and in fesse as many plates each charged with a campion flower leaved and slipped proper on a chief also of the second two branches of palm in saltire enfiled with a celestial crown or.[lower-alpha 7]
Regent's Park College		Argent on a cross gules an open Bible proper irradiated or the pages inscribed with the words DOMINUS JESUS in letters sable on a chief wavy azure fish or.
St Benet's Hall		Per fesse dancetté or and azure, a chief per pale gules and of the second, charged on the dexter with two keys in saltire or and argent, and on the sinister with a cross flory between five martlets of the first.
St Stephen's House		Gules a celestial crown between three bezants two and one or, on a chief sable an apostolic eagle between two crosses crosslet or.
Wycliffe Hall		Gules, an open book proper the pages inscribed with the words VIA VERITAS VITA in letters sable on a chief azure three crosses crosslet argent and in base an estoile or.[lower-alpha 8]

Notes

Heads of Houses

The senior member of each college is an officer known generically as the Head of House. His or her specific title varies from college to college as indicated in the list below. While the Head of House will usually be an academic, it is not uncommon for a person to be appointed who has had a distinguished career outside academic circles, especially in the Civil Service.

For a list of current Heads of Houses, see Heads of Houses.

• Principal: Brasenose, Green Templeton, Harris Manchester, Hertford, Jesus, Lady Margaret Hall, Linacre, Mansfield, St Anne’s, St Edmund Hall, St Hilda’s, St Hugh’s, Somerville, Regent’s Park, St Stephen’s House, and Wycliffe Hall

• Master: Balliol, Pembroke, St Catherine’s, St Cross, St Peter’s, University College, Campion Hall, and St Benet’s Hall

• Warden: All Souls, Keble, Merton, New College, Nuffield, St Antony’s, and Wadham.

• President: Corpus Christi, Kellogg, Magdalen, St John’s, Trinity, and Wolfson

• Provost: Oriel, The Queen’s College, and Worcester

• Dean: Christ Church

• Rector: Exeter and Lincoln

• Regent: Blackfriars

Until 2004, the President of Templeton was both Head of House and Chairman of the Governing Body. In 2004, the college statutes were amended so that these roles were separated. The Dean was the Head of House until 2008. When the college merged with Green, the Head of the new Green Templeton assumed the title of Principal. The Dean of Christ Church is head of both the college and the cathedral. The President of Kellogg is also Director of the Department for Continuing Education.

Academic rankings

For some years, an unofficial ranking of undergraduate colleges by performance in Final Honour Schools examinations has been published annually, known as the Norrington Table. As the table only takes into account the examination results for the year it is published in, college rankings may fluctuate considerably.

Beginning in 2005, the University of Oxford started publishing a list of colleges classified by a "Norrington Score", effectively replicating the Norrington Table. The university claims to have published the results "in the interests of openness". Although the university says that the college listings are "not very significant", the 2005 table is the first Norrington Table with official data and also likely the first to be truly correct. Dame Fiona Caldicott, the Chairman of the Conference of Colleges, has said that in previous years some students have used the Data Protection Act 1998 to ensure their results were not published, rendering the unofficial tables inaccurate.^[50]

College rivalries

A tradition of the University is a friendly rivalry between colleges. Often, two neighbouring colleges will be rivals, and each college will pride itself in its athletic victories over the other one. Examples include:

• Jesus College and Exeter College
• Brasenose College and Lincoln College
• The Queen's College and St Edmund Hall
• Balliol College and Trinity College
• Christ Church and Pembroke College
• Keble College and St John's College
• University College and Merton College
• St Catherine's College and Magdalen College
• Blackfriars Hall and Campion Hall
• Corpus Christi and Merton College
• St Hugh's College and St Anne's College

As well as historic rivalries based on geographical proximity, colleges often develop foes in the sporting arena that can become full-scale rivalries, although these are usually much more short-term. A recent example of this came as a result of the 2006 rugby Cuppers final between Pembroke and St Peter's that culminated in a fight between the Pink Pembroke Panther and the St Peter's Squirrel, the respective mascots of each team.

See also

• List of fictional Oxford colleges
• Oxford scarf colours
• List of Oxbridge sister colleges
• Colleges of the University of Cambridge
• Colleges of Durham University
• Colleges of the University of York

Notes and references

University of Oxford Leadership Chancellor The Lord Patten of Barnes Vice-Chancellor Louise Richardson Registrar Ewan McKendrick List of Heads of Houses Colleges All Souls Balliol Brasenose Christ Church Corpus Christi Exeter Green Templeton Harris Manchester Hertford Jesus Keble Kellogg Lady Margaret Hall Linacre Lincoln Magdalen Mansfield Merton New College Nuffield Oriel Pembroke Queen's St Anne's St Antony's St Catherine's St Cross St Edmund Hall St Hilda's St Hugh's St John's St Peter's Somerville Trinity University Wadham Wolfson Worcester Permanent Private Halls Blackfriars Hall Campion Hall Regent's Park College St Benet's Hall St Stephen's House Wycliffe Hall Departments Humanities American Institute Classics Drawing and Fine Art History Linguistics, Philology & Phonetics Medieval and Modern Languages Oriental Studies Philosophy Theology etc. Medical Sciences Biochemistry Human Genetics Pathology etc. Mathematical, Physical and Life Sciences Begbroke Science Park Chemistry Computer Science Engineering Science Materials Mathematical Institute Physics Plant Sciences Zoology etc. Social Sciences Business School Continuing Education Enterprise and the Environment Government Social Policy and Intervention International Development Internet Institute Law Oxford Martin School Oxford-Man Institute etc. Recognised Independent Centres Buddhist Studies Energy Studies Hebrew and Jewish Studies Hindu Studies Islamic Studies Sport Australian Rules Football Boxing Cricket Cycling Dancesport Darts Football Gliding Handball Ice Hockey Mountaineering Quidditch Polo Rowing Rugby Women's Football Category Commons Portal