Choosing an Oxford college

Choosing which Oxford college to apply to can seem like an intimidating prospect. After all, there are over 30 undergraduate colleges to pick from. Where do you start?

Well, there are a few ways in which you can quickly narrow down the number to look at. It's important to remember that colleges do have a lot in common, but here are some criteria that you might want to consider to help you choose your college: 

• Course
• Size
• Location
• Aesthetic
• Atmosphere
• Accommodation
• Facilities
• Food
• Grants and Scholarships

We'll go into each of these in a little more detail below. 

Let's start simple - make sure that you choose a college that offers your course! 

Not all colleges offer all courses so make sure that you are applying to one that does! 

Think about whether you would prefer to be in a larger or smaller college. 

Number of students

Some colleges, quite simply, have far more students than others. If you're in a smaller college, it will be easier to get to know most people in your year and in the college. In a larger one, you are likely to have more students studying the same course as you, which can be really nice, as well as more people around socially. 

Here at New College, we are on the larger side, with around 420 undergraduate students. 

Physical size of the college

Some colleges have a lot more space than others. Again, smaller colleges mean that you are likely to run into people a lot more but they may have a lot of their facilities or accommodation away from the main college site. Larger ones may have bigger grounds and gardens and may be able to offer accommodation for more years on or around the main college site. 

As one of the larger colleges, we have all of our first and second years living on and around the main College site. We are fortunate to have beautiful, peaceful gardens - a great place to relax, especially in summer. 

As a collegiate university, Oxford's buildings are not all in one place. Some colleges are right in the City Centre, while others are spread across the city. 

Central colleges will be closer to the coffee shops, bars, and restaurants of 'Town', while colleges that are further out may be a little more peaceful. Think about which one may be right for you. 

It's also worth thinking about how close colleges are to your department buildings, libraries, and sports grounds. 

New College is on the edge of the City Centre. Our location offers convenient access to Town and central university buildings (we're just two minutes from the Radcliffe Camera) but when you're walking around the College grounds and gardens, it feels as peaceful as if you're in the countryside! We are also very fortunate to have our sports ground just a five minute walk away - unusually close for an Oxford college. 

Think about what appeals to you in terms of how a college looks. College can feel very different as you walk around them. 

Age

Do you want an old college for that 'classic' Oxford look and experience, or would you prefer a younger that may have more modern buildings and facilities? 

New College is one of the older colleges (despite its name!), having been founded in 1379. It is one of the most architecturally striking and was the first Oxbridge college to set all its facilities around a single quad - something that has since become synonymous with Oxford and Cambridge. 

Grounds/gardens

It can be really nice to have gardens and grounds on the main college site so that they are easily accessible. They make for a peaceful walk throughout the year and are a great place to get together and relax in the sun in summer. 

Your college will be your base so knowing what the accommodation is like can be very important. 

How many years of accommodation are offered? 

Some colleges offer accommodation for their students throughout their undergraduate degree. Others only provide it for a year or two, after which students rent privately. This can offer the chance to live in different areas of Oxford, and with chosen friends. 

At New College, you will be able to live in College accommodation throughout your degree. Many of our students choose to live out in their third year to experience life outside college, but you can choose to live in College accommodation if you want to. 

Where is the accommodation? 

Larger colleges are likely to have more of their rooms on the main college site, while smaller colleges may have another campus slightly further away for some of their students. 

At New College, our first years all live in the same range on the main site, so that they can get to know each other and the college quickly. Second years and fourth years are also accommodated on or in the houses around the main College site. We are currently building a new quad very close (2 minutes' walk) which will allow us to offer accommodation to all years - it will be completed in 2023. 

Are the rooms en suite? 

Some students want to have an en suite room if possible. Again, how many rooms are en suite will differ greatly from college to college. 

Here, the majority of our rooms are en suite. Even students with shared bathrooms usually only share with one or two others. 

Single charge or banded? 

Some colleges have a flat fee for all their accommodation, while others grade the cost of rooms according to their size/location/facilities. 

We have a flat weekly rate for all of our College rooms, which means that no-one gets a nicer room just because they are able to pay a bit more. Instead, our first year rooms are allocated randomly. All the rooms are ranked and if you have a 'worse' room in first year, you will be first to choose your second year room so that everything is fair. 

What facilities are available on the college site? 

Sports

Most colleges will have access to a sports ground of some kind. Some are shared with between colleges and the sports offered may differ slightly. Some sports grounds are also much closer to the main college sites than others. 

You may also want to look at whether colleges have a gym on site, or whether they have their own boathouse if you are keen to try rowing. 

At New College, our fabulous sports ground is just a few minutes' walk from the main college site. We have our own boathouse and while we don't have a gym, we do offer free membership of the main University gym to all our students. 

Music

What facilities are there for music practice within the college? Does it have a performance hall? 

Here, we are very proud to have state-of-the-art music practice rooms as part of our Clore Music Studios. Just two minutes from the main College site, the studios include seven soundproofed rooms - five with pianos, one with early pianos, and a brass room with a washable floor. We also have a few practice rooms on the main College site, including a Band Room. Our Chapel is a beautiful venue and regularly hosts performances, including many from the world-famous New College Choir. We are also building a new performance hall as part of our Gradel Quad project, which will be completed in 2023. 

Library

It's fair to say that you are unlikely to struggle for books here at Oxford University. However, college library sizes do differ and smaller libraries may make things slightly less convenient. Opening hours for the library may also be a consideration - if you want to pull an all-nighter in the library, you'll need it to be open 24/7 (not that we would recommend that!) 

At New College, we have over 100,000 texts in the Library, including all of the essential texts for our courses. Our Library is open from 8am-2am during term time and our Library team is very helpful! 

Access requirements

If you have a disability that makes it difficult for you to access some areas, make sure that you know what is and is not accessible to you at each college. Older colleges are likely to have more areas that are inaccessible due to their centuries-old design and listed buildings. 

At New College, we have fantastic accommodation available to students with access requirements - the Kimber Wing. Completed in 2019, it was purpose-designed and built with specialist access consultants and offers rooms for two students and a carer. We have a lift up to the Dining Hall but do not currently have a lift to the Library - books can instead be ordered through the Library team. 

Food arrangements will be slightly different across colleges. 

Think about whether you want all your meals in the college hall, whether you want self-catering facilities, and look at the price of meals where possible as this may change as well. If you have particular food requirements, such as allergies or religious needs, try to find out what provision is available at various colleges. 

At New College, we offer breakfast, lunch, and dinner in the College Hall. Dinner is included in your accommodation costs, and you can opt to have breakfast and lunch in Hall as well if you want to. Our catering runs on a not-for-profit basis so that your costs are minimised. We don't have self-catering facilities for our first year rooms, though you can cook for yourself in some of our accommodation for later years. 

In addition to your student loan that you may receive from the government, there are additional funds available, particularly if you are from a low-income household. 

Both the government and the University of Oxford have grants available for students from low-income households, aiming to ensure that no student is unable to attend the University due to finances. 

Some colleges have additional scholarships and funds available to help their students so it can be worth checking what is available from each college. 

You can find out all about New College's grants, scholarships, and cost-saving initiatives on our Finance & Scholarships page.