For other uses, see. The University of Oxford is a in. There is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096, making it the oldest university in the and the. It grew rapidly from 1167 when banned English students from attending the. After disputes between students and Oxford townsfolk in 1209, some academics fled north-east to where they established what became the. The history and influence of the University of Oxford has made it one of the most prestigious universities in the world. University of Oxford Other students 500 Location , England, UK Campus Athletics The Affiliations Website The university is made up of , and a range of academic departments which are organised into four. All the colleges are self-governing institutions within the university, each controlling its own membership and with its own internal structure and activities. It does not have a main campus, and its buildings and facilities are scattered throughout the city centre. It operates the world's oldest , as well as the largest in the world and the largest academic library system nationwide. The university is consistently cited as among the world's best. Oxford has educated many notable alumni, including , 27 and many heads of state and government around the world. As of 2017, , , and have studied, worked, or held visiting fellowships at the University of Oxford. Its alumni have won 160. Oxford is the home of the , one of the world's oldest international scholarships. Teaching at Oxford existed in some form as early as 1096, but it is unclear when a university came into being. It grew quickly in 1167 when English students returned from the. The historian lectured to such scholars in 1188 and the first known foreign scholar, , arrived in 1190. The head of the university had the title of from at least 1201, and the masters were recognised as a universitas or corporation in 1231. The university was granted a royal charter in 1248 during the reign of King. After disputes between students and Oxford townsfolk in 1209, some academics fled from the violence to , later forming the. In later centuries, geographical origins continued to influence many students' affiliations when membership of a or hall became customary in Oxford. In addition, members of many , including , , and , settled in Oxford in the mid-13th century, gained influence and maintained houses or halls for students. At about the same time, private benefactors established colleges as self-contained scholarly communities. Among the earliest such founders were , who in 1249 endowed , and , father of a future ; bears his name. Another founder, , a of England and afterwards , devised a series of regulations for college life; thereby became the model for such establishments at Oxford, as well as at the University of Cambridge. Thereafter, an increasing number of students lived in colleges rather than in halls and religious houses. In 1333—34, an attempt by some dissatisfied Oxford scholars to found a new university at , was blocked by the universities of Oxford and Cambridge petitioning King. Thereafter, until the 1820s, no new universities were allowed to be founded in England, even in London; thus, Oxford and Cambridge had a duopoly, which was unusual in large western European countries. Renaissance period In 1605 Oxford was still a walled city, but several colleges had been built outside the city walls north is at the bottom on this map The new learning of the greatly influenced Oxford from the late 15th century onwards. Among university scholars of the period were , who contributed to the revival of studies, and , the noted. With the and the breaking of communion with the , scholars from Oxford fled to continental Europe, settling especially at the. The method of teaching at Oxford was transformed from the medieval to Renaissance education, although institutions associated with the university suffered losses of land and revenues. As a centre of learning and scholarship, Oxford's reputation declined in the ; enrolments fell and teaching was neglected. In 1636 , the chancellor and , codified the university's statutes. These, to a large extent, remained its governing regulations until the mid-19th century. Laud was also responsible for the granting of a charter securing privileges for the , and he made significant contributions to the , the main library of the university. An engraving of Christ Church, Oxford, 1742 The university was a centre of the party during the 1642—1649 , while the town favoured the opposing cause. From the mid-18th century onwards, however, the university took little part in political conflicts. Wren was part of a brilliant group of experimental scientists at Oxford in the 1650s, the , which included and. This group held regular meetings at Wadham under the guidance of the College's Warden, , and the group formed the nucleus which went on to found the. Modern period Students Before reforms in the early 19th century the curriculum at Oxford was notoriously narrow and impractical. It was impossible to collect some thousand or twelve hundred of the best young man in England, to give them the opportunity of making acquaintance with one another, and full liberty to live their lives in their own way, without evolving in the best among them, some admirable qualities of loyalty, independence, and self-control. If the average undergraduate carried from University little or no learning, which was of any service to him, he carried from it a knowledge of men and respect for his fellows and himself, a reverence for the past, a code of honour for the present, which could not but be serviceable. He had enjoyed opportunities... He might have mixed with them in his sports, in his studies, and perhaps in his debating society; and any associations which he had this formed had been useful to him at the time, and might be a source of satisfaction to him in after life. Out of the students who matriculated in 1840, 65% were sons of professionals 34% were Anglican ministers. After graduation 87% became professionals 59% as Anglican clergy. Out of the students who matriculated in 1870, 59% were sons of professionals 25% were Anglican ministers. After graduation 87% became professionals 42% as Anglican clergy. Jones argue that the rise of organised sport was one of the most remarkable and distinctive features of the history of the universities of Oxford and Cambridge in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It was carried over from the athleticism prevalent at the public schools such as , , , and. At the start of 1914 the university housed about 3,000 undergraduates and about 100 postgraduate students. During the First World War many undergraduates and Fellows joined the armed forces. The records tha
