New College is one of Oxford’s oldest and best-known Colleges. Situated in the heart of the city, our main site is one of the most beautiful in Oxford, boasting the earliest planned College quadrangle and spectacular gardens set against the medieval city wall.
While learning and scholarship are our primary focus, the College has an exceptionally rich sporting, cultural and musical life.
Founded by William of Wykeham in 1379 for the education of priests, the College has grown to become one of Oxford’s largest; admitting undergraduate and graduate students for nearly all the subjects on offer in the University. We have a record of consistently strong
academic performance, and welcome applications from students of high academic potential, whatever their background. We currently have around 340 graduate students and 420 undergraduate students.
Undergraduate teaching at New College is organised and provided by around 45 Tutorial Fellows (nearly all of whom also hold University posts), assisted by about 16 Stipendiary Lectures (college tutors employed on a fixed-term basis). There are also 15 Professional Fellows and, at any one time, about 10 to 12 Junior Research Fellows. Governing Body, which has overall responsibility for all aspects of the running of the College, comprises the Warden (the Head of the College) together with the Official Fellows.
The College runs a systematic Outreach programme in accordance with its own needs and ambitions, as well as those of the University. New College’s Step-Up programme works with 40 state- schools and sixth form colleges across England and Wales. This sustained contact programme has been in operation since 2017 and requires regular visits to each of the 40 schools. The programme also involves multiple visits to Oxford, as well as attendance at an “informal” Open Day which is organised by the JCR. In addition, in 2021, the College formed a consortia with Jesus College and St Catherine’s College to enhance the provision of outreach work in Wales. This involves both inbound and outbound school visits.
New College is a popular choice among applicants from the UK, European Union and overseas. In the most recent admissions round there were just under 1000 applicants for around 125 places on undergraduate degree courses. The undergraduate admissions process runs roughly from October to January each year, and includes working closely with subject tutors and the central University of Oxford Admissions team, and liaising effectively with candidates and other stakeholders. New College is a very popular choice amongst graduate applicants. The graduate admissions process runs roughly from January until June each year, and includes working closely with the Tutor for Graduates, administering the allocation of graduate scholarships, and allocating accommodation to successful applicants.
