oxford uni history

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The University of Oxford: A History

Fellow and Tutor in History Magdalen College and Professor of Early-Modern French History

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The book is a history of the University of Oxford from its beginnings in the late eleventh century until the present. Emphasis is placed on the fact that Oxford’s history has been one of discontinuity as much as continuity by the division of the book into four parts. Part I, ‘The Catholic University’, explores Oxford in the centuries before the Reformation when it was principally a clerical studium serving the western church. Part II, ‘The Anglican University’, covers 1534 to 1845, when Oxford was confessionally closed, trained the next generation of Church of England ministers, and acted as a finishing school for sons of the well-to-do. Part III, ‘The Imperial University’, traces the emergence of a new Oxford over the next hundred years which was still elitist but now non-confessional, open to women as well as men, took students from all round the Empire, and was held together at least until 1914 by a novel concept of Christian service. Part IV, ‘The World University’, takes the story from 1945 to the present, and charts Oxford’s development as a modern meritocratic and secular university with a commitment to high-quality academic research. Throughout the book, Oxford’s history is placed in the wider context of the history of higher education in Britain, Europe, and the world. This shows how singular the University has been in many regards for most of its history, and how it has had to negotiate creatively with outside forces, especially the state, to be master of its own destiny.

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Faculty of History

Medieval and modern history has been studied at Oxford for longer than at almost any other university: a Regius Professor of Modern History was first appointed in 1724, and undergraduate examinations began in 1850.

The History Faculty has more than 90 permanent academic staff. Of these, 15 are statutory Professors, or Readers. The majority of permanent academic staff, are joint appointees whose teaching responsibilities encompass both the Faculty and the individual college of appointment.

 The Faculty also encompasses at any one time a number of historians employed by colleges – College Lecturers and short-term Junior Research Fellows – as well as those on fixed-term employment with the Faculty: Departmental Lecturers providing teaching for postholders on research leave, and research assistants on funded research projects. Its wider membership includes colleagues in a number of other faculties and departments across the University who work as historians or in closely cognate disciplines.

The University of Oxford is one of the world's most encompassing centres for the study of history. The faculty has nearly twelve hundred undergraduates, and almost five hundred graduate students attracted from around the world.

Teaching and Research Showcase

Podcast: the english people at war in the age of henry viii.

In this history lecture series Professor Stephen Gunn look at the effects of war on the people of England in the 1500s. This lecture series was recorded in Hilary Term 2015 and is part of the annual James Ford Lectures in British History series at the Examination Schools in Oxford University.

More podcasts relating to the Faculty of History

Book: Martin Luther: Renegade and Prophet (Lyndal Roper, 2016)

When Martin Luther nailed a sheet of paper to the church door of a small university town on 31 October 1517, he set off a process that changed the Western world for ever.

Luther’s ideas spread like wildfire. His attack on the Church soon convulsed Germany, divided Europe and polarised people’s beliefs. They triggered decades of religious persecution, social unrest and war. And in the long run, his ideas paradoxically helped break the grip of religion in every sphere of life.

But the man who started the Reformation was deeply flawed. He was a religious fundamentalist, a Jew-hater and a political reactionary. He was a fervent believer who was tormented by doubt, a brilliant writer who shaped the German language and a vicious and foul-mouthed polemicist. He was a married ex-monk who liberated human sexuality from the stigma of sin, but also a man who insisted that women should know their place. For him the Devil was not just a figure of speech but a very real and physical presence. 

In this first historical biography for many decades, distinguished historian Lyndal Roper gives us a flesh-and-blood figure, warts and all. She reveals the often contradictory psychological forces that drove Luther forward – insecurity and self-righteousness, anger and humility – and the dynamics they unleashed which turned a small act of protest into a battle against the power of the Church.

More publications from the Faculty of History

Project Centre: The Global History Centre

The Oxford Centre for Global History was established by the History Faculty in June 2011 to reflect its strong commitment to the field. Global History in Oxford is defined broadly as the global movement of people, goods, and ideas and the consequences that flow from them. Chronologically, it extends across all historical periods from ancient to late modern.

The Centre is particularly keen to encourage cooperation between historians of different periods, as well as places, in the study of themes of global significance. It will support research projects, and host workshops, seminars, and conferences. A key part of the Centre’s role is to facilitate the research of all those in Oxford who are keen to develop a global history dimension in their work. 

http://global.history.ox.ac.uk

More recent research projects and centres from the Faculty of History

For more information, visit the History Faculty website

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Artistic License

Oxford and Cambridge students set up pro-Palestinian camps outside university buildings

The encampments are similar to those seen in US universities in recent weeks, which resulted in around 2,500 arrests.

News reporter @niamhielynch

Monday 6 May 2024 19:03, UK

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Oxford and Cambridge university students have set up pro-Palestinian encampments on campus lawns.

They were started outside King's College in Cambridge and the Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford.

The "liberated zone encampment" at Oxford University consists of tents erected on sodden ground, with dozens of protestors slushing through mud for teachings on Palestine and "well being circles", Sky News correspondent Shamaan Freeman-Powell, who is at the scene, reports.

"Come rain or shine, we will free Palestine" they chant.

There's a food tent serving hot meals, a medical site for emergencies and workshops for arts and crafts.

Kendall Gardner, a Jewish student at the university, told Sky News she was "really inspired by the events that have been happening across the world".

"The US started a global chain of student activism for Palestine ," she said.

"We have six demands for this protest - the top line is to demand closure of all university-wide financial assets that benefit Israel .

"We will stay here until those demands are met. I brought a big bag, I have everything a girl could need."

According to the Oxford for Palestine organisation, the demands include the following: disclose university-wide assets, divest university-wide assets, overhaul investment policy, boycott institutional relationships, drop Barclays bank and rebuild and reinvest.

Ms Gardner said protesters had "every intention of keeping things peaceful".

"I am actually Jewish and I have never felt safer on campus than I have with this community of people," she said.

"The last few months have been really hard for me personally. I am horrified of what is being done in my name and it has been so comforting for my community members - most of who are Arab, Muslim and Palestinian - to say my culture has nothing to do with what has been going on in Gaza."

An Oxford University spokesperson said: "We are aware of the ongoing demonstration by members of our university community.

"We respect our students and staff members right to freedom of expression in the form of peaceful protests. We ask everyone who is taking part to do so with respect, courtesy and empathy.

"Oxford University's primary focus is the health and safety of the university community, and to ensure any impact on work, research and learning, including student exams, is minimised. As we have stressed in our student and staff communications there is no place for intolerance at the University of Oxford."

Read more: Why are university students protesting in the US? Inside pro-Palestinian protest as police break up UCLA encampment

The university added that the Museum of Natural History and the Pitt Rivers Museum remained open.

Many students across the UK have started to gather in protest against the war in Gaza, with encampments set up in cities including Manchester, Newcastle, Bristol and Leeds.

As well as the encampment which started on Monday, pro-Palestinian students had already disrupted open days at the University of Cambridge in recent days.

Demonstrators told prospective undergraduates and their families they would be "complicit in Israel's genocide" in Gaza if they applied to Trinity College.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has denied his country is committing genocide, saying the case brought to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) earlier this year was "outrageous".

He also vowed to continue the military action that began after the Hamas attack on 7 October.

"We will continue to do what is necessary to defend our country and defend our people," Mr Netanyahu said after an ICJ ruling compelling Israel to take all measures within its power to prevent genocide.

"Like every country, Israel has an inherent right to defend itself."

In response to Monday's demonstrations, the University of Cambridge said it was "fully committed to academic freedom and freedom of speech within the law" and said it acknowledged the "right to protest".

"We ask everyone in our community to treat each other with understanding and empathy," it said. "Our priority is the safety of all staff and students.

"We will not tolerate antisemitism, Islamophobia and any other form of racial or religious hatred, or other unlawful activity."

Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News

The wave of university protests in the UK follows a series of violent clashes at campuses across the US , most prominently at Columbia University in New York.

Protest groups in the UK have called on their universities to divest from Israel in response to its military operation in Gaza.

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This would mean selling off stock in Israeli companies or otherwise dropping financial ties.

Encampments have also been set up in recent days in France , Ireland and Finland .

Related Topics

• Israel-Hamas war
• Oxfordshire
• University of Cambridge

History and Politics

• Admissions Requirements
• Fees and Funding
• Studying at Oxford

Course overview

UCAS code: LV21 Entrance requirements: AAA Course duration: 3 years (BA)

Subject requirements

Required subjects: Not applicable Recommended subjects: History Helpful subjects: Sociology, Politics, Government and Politics

Other course requirements

Admissions tests:  HAT Written Work: One piece (History)

Admissions statistics*

Interviewed: 37% Successful: 11% Intake: 46 Successful for a different course: 3% Applicant intake for a different course: 11 *3-year average 2021-23

History contact

Tel: +44 (0) 1865 615000 Email:  [email protected]

Politics contact

Tel: +44 (0) 1865 278706 Email:  [email protected]

Unistats information for this course can be found at the bottom of the page

Please note that there may be no data available if the number of course participants is very small.

About the course

The History and Politics course brings together complementary but distinct disciplines to form a coherent and stimulating programme.

The degree not only enables students to set contemporary political problems in their historical perspective, but also equips them to approach the study of the past with the conceptual rigour derived from political science. Students are required to study quantitative methods in preparation for year 2 Social Science papers.

A special feature of the Oxford course is the chance to choose from a broad range of subjects across the two disciplines, making it possible, for example, to combine medieval history options with analysis of contemporary political systems.

The intellectual rigour of this course benefits from the expertise of Oxford’s political theorists and historians in the history of political thought. It is also strengthened by the thematic approach taken to European and World history teaching in the first year, combined with an emphasis on interdisciplinarity in a number of both Politics and History papers.

Oxford also possesses exceptional library provision for History in:

• the  Bodleian Library
• the  History Faculty Library
•  the  Weston Library’s  special collections
• as well as the Social Sciences Library .

Unistats information

Discover Uni  course data provides applicants with Unistats statistics about undergraduate life at Oxford for a particular undergraduate course.

Please select 'see course data' to view the full Unistats data for History and Politics.

Please note that there may be no data available if the number of course participants is very small. 

Visit the Studying at Oxford section of this page for a more general insight into what studying here is likely to be like.

A typical week

During the first year, you will be expected to attend around five lectures each week, participate in regular meetings with tutors to discuss work, conduct independent research and write at least one essay a week. You will also learn quantitative methods.

In the second and third years you will have the opportunity to choose from an enormous variety of lectures, and your regular tutorials will be supplemented by faculty classes where you will discuss work with a larger number of students.

The third-year thesis will give you the opportunity to engage in a piece of independent research. Generally, students are very much in charge of their own timetable throughout their course.

Tutorials are usually 2-4 students and a tutor. Class sizes may vary depending on the options you choose, but there would usually be no more than around 20 students.

Most tutorials, classes, and lectures are delivered by staff who are tutors in their subject. Many are world-leading experts with years of experience in teaching and research. Some teaching may also be delivered by postgraduate students who are usually studying at doctoral level.

To find out more about how our teaching year is structured, visit our  Academic Year  page.

Course structure

Years 2 and 3.

The content and format of this course may change in some circumstances. Read further information about potential course changes .

Academic requirements

Wherever possible, your grades are considered in the context in which they have been achieved.

Read further information on  how we use contextual data .

If a practical component forms part of any of your science A‐levels used to meet your offer, we expect you to pass it.

If English is not your first language you may also need to meet our English language requirements .

All candidates must follow the application procedure as shown on our  Applying to Oxford  pages.

The following information gives specific details for students applying for this course.

Admissions test

All candidates must take the  History Admissions Test (HAT)  as part of their application. 

Visit the  HAT page  for guidance on how to prepare.

We will be putting in place new arrangements for our admissions tests for 2024 onwards. We will provide more information on these arrangements at the earliest opportunity. 

Written work

Visit our further guidance on the  submission of written work  for more information, and to download a cover sheet.

What are tutors looking for?

Tutors are looking for intellectual curiosity, as well as a flexible approach to engaging with unfamiliar concepts or arguments and an enthusiasm for history and politics.

If you are shortlisted, you may be asked to discuss your submitted written work and personal statement during interview. Candidates may also be asked to read and talk about a short passage as part of the interview.

Find out more about the selection criteria  for this course.

While some History and Politics graduates go on to further study and research to become professional historians and social scientists, others move into different areas.

Recent graduates have started their careers in:

• accountancy
• advertising
• archive work
• the Civil Service
• consultancy
• international charity work
• librarianship
• management consultancy
• social work
• the theatre.

Graduates include a PhD researcher in political science, a senior account executive in public relations and a civil servant.

Note: These annual fees are for full-time students who begin this undergraduate course here in 2024. Course fee information for courses starting in 2025 will be updated in September.

We don't want anyone who has the academic ability to get a place to study here to be held back by their financial circumstances. To meet that aim, Oxford offers one of the most generous financial support packages available for UK students and this may be supplemented by support from your college.

Further details about fee status eligibility can be found on the fee status webpage.

For more information please refer to our  course fees page . Fees will usually increase annually. For details, please see our  guidance on likely increases to fees and charges.

Living costs

Living costs at Oxford might be less than you’d expect, as our  world-class resources and college provision can help keep costs down.

Living costs for the academic year starting in 2024 are estimated to be between £1,345 and £1,955 for each month you are in Oxford. Our academic year is made up of three eight-week terms, so you would not usually need to be in Oxford for much more than six months of the year but may wish to budget over a nine-month period to ensure you also have sufficient funds during the holidays to meet essential costs. For further details please visit our  living costs webpage .

• Financial support

**If you have studied at undergraduate level before and completed your course, you will be classed as an Equivalent or Lower Qualification student (ELQ) and won’t be eligible to receive government or Oxford funding

Fees, Funding and Scholarship search

Additional Fees and Charges Information for History and Politics

There are no compulsory costs for this course beyond the fees shown above and your living costs.

Contextual information

Unistats course data from Discover Uni provides applicants with statistics about a particular undergraduate course at Oxford. For a more holistic insight into what studying your chosen course here is likely to be like, we would encourage you to view the information below as well as to explore our website more widely.

The Oxford tutorial

College tutorials are central to teaching at Oxford. Typically, they take place in your college and are led by your academic tutor(s) who teach as well as do their own research. Students will also receive teaching in a variety of other ways, depending on the course. This will include lectures and classes, and may include laboratory work and fieldwork. However, tutorials offer a level of personalised attention from academic experts unavailable at most universities.

During tutorials (normally lasting an hour), college subject tutors will give you and one or two tutorial partners feedback on prepared work and cover a topic in depth. The other student(s) in your tutorials will be doing the same course as you. Such regular and rigorous academic discussion develops and facilitates learning in a way that isn’t possible through lectures alone. Tutorials also allow for close progress monitoring so tutors can quickly provide additional support if necessary.

Read more about tutorials and an Oxford education

College life

Our colleges are at the heart of Oxford’s reputation as one of the best universities in the world.

• At Oxford, everyone is a member of a college as well as their subject department(s) and the University. Students therefore have both the benefits of belonging to a large, renowned institution and to a small and friendly academic community. Each college or hall is made up of academic and support staff, and students. Colleges provide a safe, supportive environment leaving you free to focus on your studies, enjoy time with friends and make the most of the huge variety of opportunities.
• Porters’ lodge (a staffed entrance and reception)
• Dining hall
• Lending library (often open 24/7 in term time)
• Student accommodation
• Tutors’ teaching rooms
• Chapel and/or music rooms
• Green spaces
• Common room (known as the JCR).
• All first-year students are offered college accommodation either on the main site of their college or in a nearby college annexe. This means that your neighbours will also be ‘freshers’ and new to life at Oxford. This accommodation is guaranteed, so you don’t need to worry about finding somewhere to live after accepting a place here, all of this is organised for you before you arrive.
• All colleges offer at least one further year of accommodation and some offer it for the entire duration of your degree. You may choose to take up the option to live in your college for the whole of your time at Oxford, or you might decide to arrange your own accommodation after your first year – perhaps because you want to live with friends from other colleges.
• While college academic tutors primarily support your academic development, you can also ask their advice on other things. Lots of other college staff including welfare officers help students settle in and are available to offer guidance on practical or health matters. Current students also actively support students in earlier years, sometimes as part of a college ‘family’ or as peer supporters trained by the University’s Counselling Service.

Read more about Oxford colleges and how you choose

Applicants for this course may instead be offered a place for History. Such offers are not included in these statistics.

FIND OUT MORE

• Visit the History Faculty's website
• Visit the Department of Politics' website

Our 2024 undergraduate open days will be held on 26 and 27 June and 20 September.

Register to find out more about our upcoming open days.

Top-ranked history department in the UK

With more than 180 historians, Oxford's submission to REF 2021 was by far the largest in the United Kingdom.

More than 50% of our research* was ranked as 4* (world leading) putting us no. 1 in the country for 'research power'.

*Overall profile, impact and environment.  Visit the REF website for more detail . 

RELATED PAGES

• Which Oxford colleges offer my course?
• Your academic year

Related courses

• Other  History courses
• History of Art  
• Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE)

Feel inspired?

Why not have a look at some History magazines such as  History Today  or  BBC History  (which also has  weekly podcasts ). 

You may also like to explore the  British Museum  website or  BBC Radio 4 archives , both of which have excellent links to historical materials.

To learn more about politics, you might be interested in reading Jonathan Wolff’s  An Introduction to Political Philosophy. Or, for interesting and up-to-date insights into recent political developments in a number of countries, the series of texts produced by Macmillan at regular intervals called  Developments in British (French, German, East European etc.) Politics .

For updates on our departmental research, you can visit the  OXPOL  blog.

Follow us on social media

Follow us on social media to get the most up-to-date application information throughout the year, and to hear from our students.

Undergraduate Open Days 2023

Oxford is open! Come and see us and discover for yourself student life at our University. Our 2023 University-wide Open Days are Wednesday 28 June, Thursday 29 June and Friday 15 September. You can find out more and register for updates on the  University website.

History Open Day

Exam Schools, 75 - 81 High St, Oxford OX1 4BG

09:00 – 09:30 – Drop-in Q&A – Staff and students available to answer your questions All welcome

09:30 – 11:00 – An Introduction to History at Oxford – Includes a taster lecture and Q&A Prospective Students Only

11:00 – 13:00 – Drop-in Q&A – Staff and students available to answer your questions All welcome

Virtual Open Days 2021

During the Open Days on 30 June and 1 July 2021, the Faculty ran a Livestream with History Tutors, Admissions Staff and Student Ambassadors. You can watch these live streams below:

Oxford History Review - Open Day Edition!

The Oxford History Review  is a student run magazine that provides students a platform to express their opinions and thoughts about all things historical. 

This special issue of the magazine was created for the Undergraduate Open Day in July 2020 to provide an insight into real student experiences and what it is like studying history at Oxford.

How to find us!

The Faculty of History open day will be taking place in the Examination Schools (75 - 81 High St, Oxford OX1 4BG). The entrance to Exam Schools can be found on High Street.

Click on the image below to enlarge.

(©  OpenStreetMap  contributors)

Postgraduate Open Day

The Faculty runs a Postgraduate Open Day in December each year. Check back for more information.