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Wolfson College

Wolfson is a modern and modernist college for graduate students and postdocs. It has been located for over 50 years in a traditional setting positioned on the tranquil banks of the River Cherwell, overlooking its own medieval meadows. 

A cement building behind a small pond and a grassy field

Wolfson College (University of Oxford Images / Public Affairs Directorate)

About the college

Wolfson is an exciting and inspiring academic environment with a mixture of students on a variety of research and taught courses. Since 2000, the college has built on its academic prestige across the disciplines, establishing interdisciplinary research clusters for fellows and students, ranging from Quantum Computing to the Ancient World, and from Life Writing to the Climate Emergency. These academic initiatives have been matched by a new Academic Wing and 150-seat auditorium. 

The college was founded to create a relaxed and family-friendly atmosphere. There is family accommodation and a nursery. The college has an outstanding collection of modern and contemporary art. There are punts, canoes, an allotment and extensive gardens. The college has a strong rowing tradition for men and women, and in 2025 were the top men’s crew in Oxford.

With its setting and ethos the College has been at the forefront of work to support biodiversity and decarbonisation. The entire College estate is now fossil-fuel free in scopes one and two (gas boilers all replaced by heat pumps, no emissions from the College, no use of fossil fuels, no investment in fossil fuels, all renewable energy supply, solar farm on our roofs) and each year we set an offset budget for scope three – supply chains – which we spend at college on green initiatives led by students.

The college is open, informal, diverse, democratic and multidisciplinary. Its ethos has been carried through from its founding President the historian of ideas Sir Isaiah Berlin, and is embedded in the college structure up to this very day. Wolfson has one single common room organisation to which all members of the college belong and which reflects the college’s egalitarian philosophy. It has no high table and no chapel. 

In addition to the University's own scholarships, the college offers a number of scholarships each year (25 scholarships were available in 2025). Details of the scholarships available for entry in the current admissions cycle may be found on the college website.

Key facts

College tour

MPhil student Will gives a tour of Wolfson College, a modern college founded to provide a stimulating and supportive environment specifically for graduate students.

Facilities

Accommodation and meals

Courses

For entry in 2027-28

Location

Main site: Wolfson College, Linton Road, Oxford, OX2 6UD, United Kingdom

Contact details

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