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.

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 was described by the humanist Erasmus, after his visit, as a wonder of the world. With more than 86,000 books, 24 hour opening, computerised catalogues and wi-fi internet connections, it is a convenient as well as a beautiful place to work. The well-equipped computer suite has 12 PCs, scanners, laser printers and audio-visual equipment. There are PCs for email access in all common rooms.

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 disabled access, though suitable accommodation is limited.

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 May 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.