Welcome from the Chancellor OXFORD

Welcome to the University of Oxford. People from all walks of life and all parts of the world have been visiting us for nine centuries and we are delighted that via this website you are joining that long tradition. Oxford was the first University in the English-speaking world. Our aim is to remain at the forefront of centres of learning, teaching and research.

Oxford’s remarkable global appeal continues to grow. Students from more than a hundred and forty countries and territories make up a student population of over twenty thousand. Over a third comes from outside the United Kingdom.

But it is not just longevity and global reach that mark Oxford out and give the University its special character. There is also our distinctive college and tutorial system which underpins a culture of close academic supervision and careful personal support for our outstanding students. Our colleges and halls of which there are more than forty also help to foster the intense interdisciplinary approach that inspires much of the outstanding research achievement of the University and makes Oxford a leader in so many fields. It is an approach especially suited to confronting many of the hugely complex challenges that face us all. That is why we believe that the greater we can make Oxford, the greater its contribution to the well-being of the world you and I share.

The Rt Hon Lord Patten of Barnes, CH


The University and the Colleges
The different roles of the University and Colleges have evolved over time.

Colleges and Halls
Select and admit undergraduate students, and select graduate students after they are admitted by Oxford University.
Provide accommodation, meals, common rooms, libraries, sports and social facilities, and pastoral care for their students.
Are responsible for students' tutorial teaching and welfare.
The University
Determines the content of the courses within which college teaching takes place.
Organises lectures and seminars.
Provides a wide range of resources for teaching and learning in the form of libraries, laboratories, museums, computing facilities, etc.
Admits and supervises graduate students, examines theses.
Sets and marks examinations.
Awards degrees.
Conference of Colleges
Represents the common concerns of the colleges.
Negotiates with central University bodies on collegiate matters.
Appoints members of joint University/College committees.
Has representation on Council, its committees, and the four Divisional Boards.
Acts as a body for intercollegiate discussion and decision-making.


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