Corpus Christi

Corpus is one of the smaller traditional colleges. Socially, it is welcoming and unpretentious, but it is also a scholarly place. We look for people who are serious about thinking hard, reading widely and being committed to their studies. We offer an environment where students can flourish in every way while pursuing academic excellence. The college offers all its students a room for the normal duration of their course. Corpus has a strong sense of community without being claustrophobic. It prides itself on the diversity of its students’ social and ethnic backgrounds. It has a strong tradition of openness, tolerance and fairness. All this helps to make the college unusually well-integrated and supportive.

Corpus has the best of all worlds: it is five minutes’ walk from the city centre and Bodleian Library, ten minutes from the arts faculties and science laboratories, but is tucked away from the noise of the city, looking out over Christ Church meadow towards the Thames.

Usually, first-year students live in college or in New Building, just across the road. Students in other years can choose to live on the main site or close by. The recent Liddell Building, about 15 minutes away from the college, has shared flats with communal kitchens and dining areas, and is popular with second- and third-year students. All rooms are single and some have their own ensuite shower and WC. All rooms in college and in the Liddell Building have telephones and network connections.

One of the finest college libraries in Oxford, the magnificent 16th-century Old Library and its trilingual collection of books was described by the humanist Erasmus as a wonder of the world. The Old Library and its 17th century furniture is still used by students today. With more than 60,000 books, 24-hour opening, computerised catalogues, numerous PC workstations, and the provision of colour printing, scanning and photocopying, it is a convenient as well as a beautiful place to work.

Wired and wireless internet access is available throughout the College main site, including the Library and all student bedrooms, and most annexe locations (including Liddell). The well-equipped computer room has eight PCs and a large multi-functional device for colour printing, scanning and photocopying.

The college has a new multi-purpose auditorium suitable for concerts, drama productions, parties and lectures. We have an ecumenically progressive chapel whose lively choir has travelled the world. For more vigorous activities there is a sports field, squash court and boathouse; for the more relaxed there are the Beer Cellar, TV rooms and the Junior Common Room (JCR). There is a limited amount of suitable accommodation for students with mobility difficulties. Some areas within the College pose certain access challenges.

Life at Corpus is not all work, and academic talent often goes hand-in-hand with other talents. Among the most active of our many clubs are the dramatic society – the Owlets – and the choir. There are plenty of sporting opportunities too, though the mood is enthusiastic rather than unduly competitive. Corpus students put a lot of energy into organising events, so the college has an impressive social calendar with an inexpensive ball every other Spring and a fair each June, which features our famous tortoise race. The effective JCR, represented on most college committees, is active on open days, in access activities and, of course, in the Beer Cellar.