St Catherine's College

About the college
College facilities
Courses available
Location map
College outreach

About the college

St Catherine's College (Catz) is Oxford’s youngest undergraduate college and one of its largest and most diverse communities. We treasure the traditional values of Oxford college life, but are committed to evolving with today’s society, which is reflected in our College motto ‘Nova et Vetera’: the new and the old.

Students at St Catherine’s College

We offer a wide range of subjects, with a broadly even split between science and arts. The college is proud of its place at the forefront of innovation, research and contemporary culture. Its modern architecture (largely designed by Danish architect Arne Jacobsen, and Grade I listed) and easy access to green spaces give the College an open and friendly atmosphere.

The vast majority of undergraduates live in college for three years. There are excellent facilities, including a large college library, well-equipped computer rooms and a spacious and comfortable Junior Common Room. Sport, music, art and drama enjoy a high profile in the college. On site there are:

squash courts
a gymnasium
a punt house
a music house for practice and performance
and theatres for both indoor and outdoor productions.

St Catherine’s is...

'…the best of both worlds – modern but still has traditional aspects. I would definitely call it home.'
Madeleine

'…a diverse community of students, coming from different backgrounds, studying different subjects, and having different interests.'
Nina

'…a place where our tutors seem to really care about our development outside of academic work as well as within it.'
George

'...a tranquil environment, due to the lack of tourists and the surrounding nature, which makes Catz a special place for me.'
Teodor

'…such a friendly place with great student welfare!'
Maria

St Catherine's College

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 three years	Yes
Usually offered for all years	No
Usually offered for first year and one other year	No
Some vacation storage for international students	Yes

Catering

Catering type	College availability
Dining hall	Yes*
Bar	Yes*
Café	No

Facilities

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

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

*Please note that some of our facilities are in temporary structures while the College undergoes remediation work. For more information, see our website.

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.

St Catherine's College is part of Oxford Cymru / Oxford for Wales.

Local Link Authorities

Blaenau Gwent

Bridgend

Caerphilly

Cardiff

Carmarthenshire

Ceredigion

Conwy

Denbighshire

Flintshire

Gwynedd

Isle of Anglesey

Merthyr Tydfil

Monmouthshire

Neath Port Talbot

Newport

Pembrokeshire

Powys

Rhondda Cynon Taf

Swansea

Torfaen

Vale of Glamorgan

Wrexham

Ynys Môn

Outreach programmes

St Catherine’s College is committed to access for all. As a College, we can trace our roots back to 1868, when a ‘Delegacy for Unattached Students’ was formed. This delegacy enabled students to be members of the University without being a member of a college, thus avoiding the prohibitive costs of College membership at the time.

We are proud to continue our work to support talented students from all backgrounds to make strong applications to competitive universities.

Academic taster days

We deliver a range of Academic Taster Days for students in Year 12 to spend a day exploring a specific academic area at St Catz, meet with some current students, experience a taste of academic teaching and enjoy lunch in our hall. These events typically take place in May half term.

In 2023, we welcomed 200 students to St Catz across four Academic Taster Days: Geography, Modern Languages, Women+ in STEM, and Music.

If you would like to visit St Catherine’s College, or have questions about our Outreach work, then please do get in touch by emailing [email protected].

The Catalyst Programme

is our sustained contact outreach programme that provides pupils with tailored support at multiple points in their school career, as well as an opportunity to visit Oxford.

Using a ‘hub model’ for each event, the schools take turns to host pupils from the other schools in the network. This means the College has a greater impact in terms of the total number of participants, and shares the administrative and logistical strain of organising large scale events with all schools in the partnership.

Currently, the Catalyst Programme supports schools in Lewisham, Haringey, Teesside and South Wales.

Contact

Access and Outreach at St Catherine's
Outreach Officer: Joanna Meacham

+44 (0) 1865 281189
[email protected]
www.stcatz.ox.ac.uk

Postal address:
St Catherine's College
Manor Road, Oxford OX1 3UJ

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.