The grounds of Somerville College.

Somerville College

About the college
College facilities
Courses available
Location map
College outreach

About the college

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

Founded in 1879 to give women access to university education when many 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.

Gathered around its beautiful gardens at the heart of the University’s new Radcliffe Observatory Quarter, 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 accommodation on the main college site for every single year of their degrees.

Somerville is known for its good food, excellent formals and beautiful central gardens, 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 scene, an annual arts week and a huge choice of societies across everything from baking to board games. For sportspeople, the College also offers 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 page 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	No
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	Yes
Some subject societies	Yes
Other societies	Yes

College outreach

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

Outreach programmes

Somerville’s Access and Outreach team helps students from under-represented backgrounds make decisions about their future options, equipped with the knowledge and skills they need to fulfil their potential.

We host multiple school visits for our link schools within term time, as well as participating in University-wide Open Days, which provide a chance to meet the Tutor for Admissions, subject tutors, current students, and have a college tour.

The team also conducts two annual Access Roadshows to our link schools in Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight, and the Forest of Dean, travelling to visit the regions and engage with students on their own terms.

Future Focus Programme

Our school visit programme aims to provide informative and engaging activities to school students in Years 8-12, either in their own schools or as part of a day visit to Somerville. These include virtual and in person offerings, and cover sessions demystifying Oxford, as well as providing support with admissions.

Find out more about our offering from our brochure.

Year 12 Virtual Study Days

An annual series of four virtual study days is held in February half term, offering a range of academic taster sessions in STEM and humanities subjects for Year 12 students from state schools. The series is aimed at students wanting to find out more about university study and explore their subject options.

The days also include information and guidance on applying to Oxford and Q&As with current students and tutors.

Year 10 High Achievers’ Residential

In collaboration with Uni Connect Higher Horizons, we support a sustained contact programme for high achieving Year 10 students. The programme is held at Stoke Sixth Form College, and is designed to introduce students to university.

The programme culminates in a 2-day Easter residential in Somerville, where students attend a range of academic taster sessions and workshops to improve their critical thinking skills. Students also experience a taster of life as a student at Oxford.

Year 12 BAME Study Day

A study day for Year 12 BAME students from our link regions. The study day is held in May half term, providing an opportunity to find out more about life as a student at Oxford.

The day includes Q&As with current students and admissions support.

Other Outreach Programmes

As well as supporting several Oxford University Outreach projects such as the Astrophoria Foundation Year, UNIQ and Opportunity Oxford, we also work with several external outreach organisations, including:

More locally, we also support St Frideswide Primary School in Cowley through our work with the Oxford Hub’s Schools Plus Twinning Programme.

You can find out more about our work on our website or you can book a visit to/from us.

Contact

Access and Outreach at Somerville
Access and Outreach Officer: Hannah Pack
Access and Outreach Support Officer: Aarthee Parimelalaghan

[email protected]
+44 (0) 1865 280632
www.some.ox.ac.uk

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

Outreach events

Visit the University's Outreach event calendar to view upcoming outreach events. Please note that some events may require advance booking or have specific eligibility criteria.

Somerville College