Somerville College

Somerville College Somerville was founded in 1879 to give women, at that time excluded from membership of the University, the chance to benefit from an Oxford education.

Come to Somerville and learn to change the world 🌍 Breaking down barriers to learning since 1879 👩‍🎓 One of the first University Colleges of Sanctuary 🧡 Home to the Oxford India Centre for Sustainable Development. Today the College is home to around 400 undergraduates and 100 graduate students, both male and female. It is a friendly, vibrant, diverse community that fosters a pioneering spirit.

It is with great affection and sadness that Somerville College marks the passing of its honorary fellow Dame Esther Rant...
01/10/2026

It is with great affection and sadness that Somerville College marks the passing of its honorary fellow Dame Esther Rantzen (1959, English). Esther was a trailblazing broadcaster and campaigner whose zest for life translated into lasting improvement in the lives of others. Her life and work embody the very best of our College’s commitment to courage, compassion and public service. Read more: https://www.some.ox.ac.uk/news/esther-rantzen-1940-2026/

Exciting news! For the first time since 2014, Somerville College are competing on University Challenge. Our quizzers are...
25/09/2026

Exciting news! For the first time since 2014, Somerville College are competing on University Challenge. Our quizzers are Milton Lee (2023, Physics), Zoë McGuire (2024, Maths and Computer Science), Elijah Scheinson (2025, MSt Byzantine Studies) and team captain Rohan George (2025, Chemistry). We are beyond proud of the team! Make sure you’re watching this coming Monday at 8.30pm on BBC 2.

Somerville College is proud to launch its new Early Career Fund for securing academic futures, and pleased to invite fur...
24/09/2026

Somerville College is proud to launch its new Early Career Fund for securing academic futures, and pleased to invite further support for this vital programme. We are delighted to introduce the inaugural beneficiary of the fund, Dr Kieran Brown, who will join Somerville for three years as the Sue and Kevin Scollan Early Career Fellow, continuing his work at the intersection of literature, economics and philosophy. https://www.some.ox.ac.uk/news/a-lifeline-for-the-humanities-introducing-somervilles-early-career-fund/

We’ve had a fantastic September at Somerville, welcoming alumni of all ages back to College. We started the month with t...
24/09/2026

We’ve had a fantastic September at Somerville, welcoming alumni of all ages back to College. We started the month with the 1966 Diamond Reunion, followed swiftly by Family Day, and a Gaudy for 2008-2013 alumni. In the last week alone, we’ve had reunions for 1976, 1986, and 1996, as well as our annual alumni formal hall, where Somervillians from across the decades gathered for dinner in Hall and a BOP! Thank you so much to everyone who attended one of these events, and also to everyone in College who works so hard to make them a success.

Today we bid a sad (for us) but happy (for her) farewell to our incomparable Regular Giving and Alumni Relations Executi...
22/09/2026

Today we bid a sad (for us) but happy (for her) farewell to our incomparable Regular Giving and Alumni Relations Executive Jackie Yip. If you are a Somerville alum, you will likely have encountered Jackie over the past few years. Without doubt the most effervescent and imaginative Regular Giving Executive that any of us has ever met, you will have seen her boundless creativity blazoned across our beautiful spring mailings, in the ingenuity of our collectible pop-up buildings, in our stunning remembrance garden and a host of other projects. From cheering on crews during Summer VIIIs to sharing her love of Ghibli, matcha and rescue dogs, Jackie has infused the Somerville development team with colour and energy. Our loss is RSPCA’s gain, as Jackie will go now to combine her fundraising genius with her love of animals. Good luck, Jackie, and thank you for everything you’ve done for Somerville!

19/09/2026

We can’t believe Family Day was two weeks ago already! It was so special to welcome so many Somervillians and their children back to College for a fantastic day of learning and fun!

It was a pleasure to welcome our alumni and their families back to College for our recent Family Day. Under perfect Sept...
15/09/2026

It was a pleasure to welcome our alumni and their families back to College for our recent Family Day. Under perfect September skies, we enjoyed a carefree afternoon of games, music, climbing, bouncy castles, and brain-teasing tutorials from our brilliant Somerville tutors. Thank you to everyone who joined us, for making it such a day to remember - and thank you so much to the wonderful group of alumni who sponsored the day, making it accessible to all.

Somerville College is deeply saddened by the news that one of our students has lost her mother in the devastating flash ...
14/09/2026

Somerville College is deeply saddened by the news that one of our students has lost her mother in the devastating flash floods in Nepal and China. The Somerville student body is joining together to fundraise in memory of Minshu’s mother, to support all those who have been affected by the floods. The Nepal Red Cross Society is currently on the ground establishing emergency camps for those displaced, providing essentials and emergency items, and supporting search and rescue efforts. Please consider donating, even a small amount, to this humanitarian relief effort. Your donation will support life-saving work in this time of crisis, and help prevent further tragedy. https://www.justgiving.com/page/somerville-fundraiser-for-nepal-floods-emergency?utm_medium=FR&utm_source=CL

11/09/2026

It’s just ONE WEEK to go until the last Oxford Open Day of 2026! We’d love to have you visit Somerville, which, accordingly to our community, is grassy, perfect and - did we mention? - welcoming!

Address

Woodstock Road
Oxford
OX26

Telephone

+441865270600

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