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Oxford University

Location & Contact Information
- Address: Oxford University, S Parks Rd, Oxford OX1, UK
- Telephone Number:
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Since the oldest university at the English-speaking world, Oxford is a unique and historic institution.

In 1188, the historian, Gerald of Wales, gave a public reading to the constructed Oxford dons and in around 1190 the arrival of Emo of Friesland, the first known overseas student, set in motion the University's tradition of global scholarly links. By 1201, the University was headed by a magister scolarum Oxonie, on whom the name of Chancellor was conferred in 1214, and in 1231 the masters were recognised as a universitas or corporation.

In the 13th century, rioting between town and gown (townspeople and students) hastened the institution of archaic halls of residence. These were succeeded by the very first of Oxford's colleges, which began as medieval 'halls of residence' or endowed houses under the oversight of a Master. University, Balliol and Merton Colleges, which have been created between 1249 and 1264, are the earliest.

Less than a century later, Oxford had achieved eminence above every other seat of learning, and won the praises of popes, kings and sages by virtue of its antiquity, curriculum, doctrine and privileges. In 1355, Edward III paid tribute to the University for its invaluable contribution to learning; he also commented on the services rendered to the state by distinguished Oxford graduates.

From its early days, Oxford was a centre for energetic controversy, with scholars involved with spiritual and political disputes. John Wyclif, a 14th-century Master of Balliol, campaigned to get a Bible in the vernacular, against the wishes of the papacy. In 1530, Henry VIII forced the University to accept his divorce from Catherine of Aragon, and throughout the Reformation in the 16th century, the Anglican churchmen Cranmer, Latimer and Ridley were attempted for heresy and burnt at the stake in Oxford.

The University was Royalist in the Civil War, and Charles I held a counter-Parliament in Convocation House.

The 18th century, when Oxford was said to possess forsaken port for politics, was also an era of scientific discovery and spiritual revival. Edmund Halley, Professor of Geometry, predicted the return of the comet that bears his name; John and Charles Wesley's prayer meetings laid the foundations of the Methodist Society.

The University assumed a leading role in the Victorian era, particularly in religious controversy. From 1833 onwards The Oxford Movement sought to revitalise the Catholic aspects of the Anglican Church. Among its leaders, John Henry Newman, became a Roman Catholic in 1845 and was later made a Cardinal. In 1860 the brand new University Museum was the scene of a famous debate between Thomas Huxley, champion of evolution, and Bishop Wilberforce.

From 1878, academic halls were created for girls and they have been admitted to full membership of the University in 1920. Five all-male schools first admitted women in 1974 and, since then, all schools have altered their statutes to admit both women and men. St Hilda's College, which was initially for women only, was the last of Oxford's single sex schools. It has admitted both men and women since 2008.

During the 20th and early 21st centuries, Oxford added to its humanistic core a major new research capacity in the natural and applied sciences, including medication. In so doing, it has enhanced and strengthened its traditional function as an international focus for learning and a forum for intellectual debate.

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