When it comes to choosing a college, you will probably get mixed messages.

What is a college?

In the UK, Oxbridge (plus Durham) are the only real collegiate universities.

Think of a college like the House system in a school, or like counties in the UK, or like states in the US federal system.

A college is where you will be admitted, where you will be housed, and where you will eat. Almost all colleges will have a library (which is separate to your Faculty library and the main university library). It is in college that you will begin your initial socialising, in the College bar, there are inter-collegiate competitions (just like Houses at school) from sports to pool.

Each college is distinct and is almost like a mini-university within a university. There is a sense of community and belonging to your college that may long outstrip your sense of belonging to the wider university!

Your college will organise your supervisions / tutorials, whether that is with academic tutors from your college or whether it is outsourced to specialist tutors in other colleges.

However, note that lectures (as opposed to supervisions and tutorials) will occur at the Faculty and centralised. So you will go to your lectures with undergraduates from all the colleges in your subject, whereas in your college you will mix with undergraduates from all disciplines.

Note: the subject content of your degree will be taught centrally so no matter what college you attend, all undergraduates will have the same lectures, same exams and same grading boundaries and markschemes in the final exams.

As a undergraduate student you’ll automatically be part your college’s Middle Common Room (MCR), which is a student-run committee that will (from before you even arrive in the college!) foster a sense of community by organising social activities, promoting student well-being and representing student voices.

Your accommodation is provided by your college.

Further below, I offer thoughts on what differentiates different colleges.

How many colleges are there?

At Oxford there are XYZ number of undergraduate colleges. There are no longer any women-only colleges at Oxford. At Cambridge there are XYZ, with one all-women college (Newnham).

Do I have to choose a college or is one chosen for me?

Here is the official line from Oxford and Cambridge

Oxford:

If I decide to choose a college, where do I start with my decision-making process?!