University of Oxford - Commonwealth Shared Scholarships

OXFORD UNIVERSITY

As the oldest university in the English-speaking world, Oxford is a unique and historic institution. There is no clear date of foundation, but teaching existed at Oxford in some form in 1096 and developed rapidly from 1167, when Henry II banned English students from attending the University of Paris.

Oxford has a distinctive collegiate structure. Students and academics benefit from belonging both to the University, a large, internationally-renowned institution, and to a college or hall, a small, interdisciplinary academic community.

The colleges and halls

There are 38 Oxford colleges, which are financially independent and self-governing, but relate to the central University in a kind of federal system. There are also six permanent private halls, which are similar to colleges except that they tend to be smaller, and were founded by particular Christian denominations. The colleges and halls are close academic communities, which bring together students and researchers from different disciplines, cultures and countries. This helps to foster the outstanding research achievement that has made Oxford a leader in so many fields.

The colleges and the University work together to organise teaching and research, and many staff at Oxford will hold both a college and a University post.

If you are interested in undergraduate study at Oxford, please consult our information on colleges for prospective undergraduates.

Did you know?

• Oxford was ranked first in the world in the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings for 2021 and 2022.
• There are nearly 24,000 students at Oxford, including 11,747 undergraduates and 11,687 postgraduates.
• Oxford is very competitive: nearly 20,000 people applied for around 3,200 undergraduate places for entry in 2022. That means that Oxford receives, on average, more than 6 applications for each available place.
• The majority of Oxford’s UK undergraduates come from state schools. The latest figures show that, of places offered to UK applicants, over 58% of undergraduate places went to students from the state sector.
• Oxford offers more than 350 different graduate degree programmes.
• International students make up almost 43% of our total student body - over 10,000 students. Students come to Oxford from more than 150 countries and territories. 
• According to the 2014 Research Excellence Framework, the official UK-wide assessment of all university research, Oxford has the largest volume of world-leading research in the country.
• The University, including the colleges and Oxford University Press, is the largest employer in Oxfordshire, supporting around more than 30,000 jobs in the county and injecting more than £2.3bn annually into the regional economy.