The grounds of Somerville College.

Somerville College

About
College facilities
Courses available
Location map
Link areas

About the college

Somerville is a warm, forward-looking and inclusive college with a streak of radicalism at its heart.

Founded in 1879 to include women when others wouldn’t, famous alumni include two former prime ministers, the only British woman to win a Nobel prize for science and pioneers in literature and activism.

Nestled in beautiful grounds at the top of St Giles’, Somerville offers a diverse range of subjects and support to students from all over the world.

Somerville is one of the few Oxford colleges able to house all its undergraduates in-college for every single year of their degrees.

Somerville is known for its good food, excellent formals and beautiful central Quad, where students get together to study and socialise in the summer months. The college has one of the best undergraduate libraries in Oxford, containing more than 120,000 items, available to our students 24/7.

Somerville is also one of Oxford’s most financially supportive colleges, with 1 in 5 students receiving some form of financial support. Generous travel and special project grants are available to help students widen their experience during vacations and finance volunteering or community-building projects.

The college has an excellent choir, an active drama society, an annual arts week and regular open mic nights alongside a wide range of team sports including rugby, football, netball, rowing, cricket and hockey.

Somerville is...

'…the right balance of academia, fun and friendliness.'
Nina

'…the smiles, waves, and impromptu conversations you have crossing the Quad on the way to a class.'
Alice

'…Going to hall for Saturday brunch to have four of those perfect hash browns.'
Mar

'…a feeling of home, regardless of who you are, where you're from, your gender, or race, or sexuality.'
Catrin

'…a place where you can be yourself and feel at home.'
Barnaby

'…the place I look forward to returning to after every vacation.'
Leanne

'…a community where freedom of expression is accepted and valued.'
Fin

'…less like a castle and more like a home.'
Corinne

College facilities

Visit our College Facilities Table to compare facilities across different colleges.

College accommodation

Accommodation	College availability
All first years on site	Yes
Usually offered for all years	Yes
Usually offered for three years	Not applicable
Usually offered for first year and one other year	Not applicable
Some vacation storage for international students	Yes

Catering

Catering type	College availability
Dining hall	Yes
Bar	Yes
Café	Yes

Facilities

Facility type	College availability
Gym on site	Yes
Boathouse	Yes
Library open 24/7	Yes
Computer rooms/stations	Yes
Wi-Fi throughout college	Yes
Music room	Yes
Theatre/performance space	No
Chapel	Yes
Multi-faith prayer room	Yes

Clubs and societies

Club / society	College availability
Music society	Yes
Orchestra(s)	Yes
Choir(s)	Yes
Dramatic society	Yes
College student magazine/paper	No
Some subject societies	Yes
Other societies	Yes

Link areas

In order to ensure that all areas of the UK are fully supported by the University of Oxford, our colleges are working together to establish Oxford for UK, a series of regional outreach programmes offering tailored and local support to students of mixed ages, their parents and teachers.

Getting in touch with the college linked to your region has no influence on your chances of being accepted to this or any other particular college. You are also very welcome to get in touch with any other college for advice about applying or studying here.

Somerville College is part of Oxford for South East.

Link Local Authorities

Isle of Wight
Portsmouth

Forest of Dean

Buckinghamshire

Hounslow

Kingston upon Thames

Contact

Access and Outreach Officer: Hannah Pack
Access and Outreach Support Officer: Eren Slate

access@some.ox.ac.uk
+44 (0) 1865 280632
www.some.ox.ac.uk

Postal address:
Somerville College
Woodstock Road, Oxford OX2 6HD

Somerville College