And that sweet city with her dreaming spires,

She needs not June for beauty’s heightening.

Matthew Arnold

Oxford is indeed the city of dreaming spires, most of them parts of the 40 colleges in the city centre.

Those unfamiliar with Oxford are often surprised that there isn’t such a thing as an Oxford University Building – pity the poor tourist asking for directions to the University.

But instead the University consists of a collection of independent colleges (and university department buildings which are seldom particularly interesting) scattered around central Oxford.

The colleges range from the very old to the new (from University College, founded in 1249, to Reuben College, which opened in 2021) and have their character and culture depending on its background and history.

Members of these colleges take exams run by the University body – degrees are also awarded by them – but colleges run their own admissions and teaching, especially for undergraduates (postgraduate teaching is sometimes more centralised).

However, in the following guide we’ve tried to group them into (very unofficial) like types…

OLD PRESTIGIOUS COLLEGES

These large, old, central colleges are generally acknowledged to be the most prestigious and are the most ‘Oxford’ in their outlook, architecture and reputation.

If your image of Oxford is of gown clad academics strolling through stone quadrangles whilst the college bell strikes noon, then you’re most likely thinking of one of these bastions of Oxford.

Christ Church college is the best example. Built by Henry VIII’s advisor Cardinal Wolsey, its large imposing buildings, magnificent Tom Quad and general aristocratic air makes it the most ‘Oxford’ of Oxford colleges.

It was for this reason that the BBC’s Brideshead Revisited, based on Evelyn Waugh’s book of the same name, was filmed here.

Magdalen College, also on this list, is probably the most spectacularly beautiful college. It has a strong artistic and literary background; CS Lewis and Oscar Wilde studied here, both enjoying the walks along the Cherwell river in its extensive grounds (which even has its own deer park).

New College and Trinity College are similarly gorgeous, central and popular. Trinity in particular has the prettiest gardens in the city which are often open to visitors in the summer.

ACADEMIC COLLEGES

Whilst every Oxford college is academic, there are a few colleges which are known to be particularly focused on academic results.

Both Merton and St.Johns colleges are known to be brutally tough to get into and attract the most academically gifted students.

They usually place highly on the Norrington Table, the unofficial academic league table of Oxford Colleges.

GRADUATE COLLEGES

There are several colleges, especially the newer ones, dedicated to Graduate studies only.

These include Wolfson, Nuffield, St Antony’s, St. Cross, Kellogg, Green Templeton, Linacre and Reuben colleges.

Harris Manchester admits only graduates and ‘mature’ (older than 21) undergraduates.

SPORTING COLLEGES

Some colleges are known for their sporting pedigree.

Oriel College, for example, has long been known for its rowing prowess. It has been Head of The River for most of the past 30 years and holds famously raucous ‘Bump Suppers’ after each win.

St Edmund Hall, or ‘Teddy Hall’ as it is more usually known, is obsessed with Rugby Union and is the most successful at the sport. They claim to have won over half the yearly rugby tournament – ‘Cuppers’ in Oxford parlance.

‘POLITICAL’ COLLEGES

Oxford is notably political. Over half of Britain’s Prime Ministers studied there, including Margaret Thatcher and Tony Blair, and many foreign Prime Ministers and Presidents attended the University.

Bill Clinton attended University College, for example. And three of the more recent Australian Prime Minsters all spent time there.

Whilst there is political activity in all the colleges, there are a couple that have a particularly strong political pedigree.

Balliol College in particular has produced many leaders including former Prime Ministers Boris Johnston, Edward Heath, Herbert Asquith, Harold Macmillan and politicians Roy Jenkins, Chris Patten and Denis Healey.

It is known as a bastion of the centrist establishment with, perhaps a centre-left leaning.

That’s not the case with Wadham College, which has a radical left wing reputation. Whenever there is a progressive cause to promote, demonstration to attend or fight with authority to be won, its Wadhamites at the forefront.

Former attendees include the late Michael Foot the firebrand Labour politician.

‘NEW’ COLLEGES

Several colleges are ‘new’, at least by Oxford’s standards.

The youngest is Reuben College, opened in 2021, but Green Templeton, St Anne’s , Mansfield, St Peters, St Edmunds Hall, St Antony’s, Nuffield, Wolfson, Harris Manchester, Kellogg and St Catherine’s were all admitted as full colleges in the past 100 years.

This is a little misleading as some were affiliated or otherwise linked to the university, and are as old as their ‘older’ counterparts. St Edmund Hall, for example, may have only have been a college since 1957 but was actually founded in 1278.

A couple of the new colleges, St Annes and St Catherines for example, were built in the twentieth century and have a modernist design which isn’t to everyone’s taste (being diplomatic).

They therefore have a very different feel to the older colleges.

Others, such as St Peters (pictured) have a Victorian or Georgian background and have more traditional settings, albeit not as spectacular as the larger prestigious colleges such as Christ Church and Magdalen. They are still lovely places to work and study.