The '
University of Oxford' comprises 39 '
Colleges' and 7 religious '
Permanent Private Halls' (PPHs), which are autonomous self-governing
corporations within the university. All teaching staff and students studying for a degree of the university must belong to one of the colleges or PPHs. These colleges are not only houses of residence, but have substantial responsibility for the teaching of undergraduates. Generally
tutorials (the main method of teaching in Oxford) and classes are the responsibility of colleges, while lectures, examinations, laboratories and the central library are run by the university.
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 very modern buildings, but most are made up of interlinked quadrangles (courtyards), with one or more large wooden gates controlling entry from the outside.
Brasenose College in the 1670s
History
The
University of Oxford's collegiate system springs from the fact that 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 settled in the university during the
12th to
15th centuries, none survived the
Reformation. The modern 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 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. 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 is
Kellogg College, founded in
1990.
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. Hugh's, and
Lady Margaret Hall. Almost all colleges are now co-educational, the only remaining women-only college being
St Hilda's which has decided to accept male members at all levels from 2009. Some colleges accept only graduate students. All Souls College accepts only fellows.
List of colleges
:''For the college scarf colours see
Oxbridge scarf colours.''
List of Permanent Private Halls
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,
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
★ 'Warden':
All Souls,
Green,
Keble,
Merton,
New College,
Nuffield,
St Antony’s,
Wadham, and
Greyfriars
★ 'Master':
Balliol,
Pembroke,
St Catherine’s,
St Cross,
St Peter’s,
University College,
Campion Hall, and
St Benet’s Hall
★ 'President':
Kellogg,
Magdalen,
St John’s,
Trinity,
Wolfson, and
Corpus Christi
★ 'Provost':
Oriel,
The Queen’s College, and
Worcester
★ 'Dean':
Christ Church and
Templeton
★ 'Rector':
Lincoln and
Exeter
★ 'Regent':
Blackfriars
''Note: 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 is now Head of House. The Dean of
Christ Church is head of both the college and the cathedral.''
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" -
[1]. As the table only takes into account the examination results for the year it is published in, college rankings may fluctuate considerably. Nonetheless, there is a clear correlation between the wealth of a college and its position in the tables. The university and colleges have at times attempted to suppress the Norrington Table, largely unsuccessfully.
Beginning in 2005, the university started publishing a list of colleges classified by a "Norrington Score", effectively replicating the Norrington Table
[2]. The university claim 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 to be 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 to ensure their results were not published, rendering the unofficial tables inaccurate.
[3]
Rivalry between Colleges
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
★
New College and
Magdalen College
★
St Catherine's College, Oxford and
Magdalen College, Oxford
★
Keble College and
St. John'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 current 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.
Fictional Colleges of Oxford
For a list of fictional colleges of Oxford University see
List of fictional Oxford colleges.
See also
★
Oxbridge scarf colours
★
University of Oxford
★
University of Cambridge
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