Why do Oxford and Cambridge have colleges and what do they do?

1. Academic Support and Supervision

One of the primary functions of colleges is to provide academic support and supervision to students. Each college has its own team of tutors, known as "Fellows" at Cambridge and "Fellows" or "Tutors" at Oxford, who oversee the academic progress of students within their subject areas. This support happens in two ways.

Firstly, for students on larger courses (such as History, English, or Biology), whilst lectures will take place in the faculty, small-group tutorials or supervisions may take place in college. This does not mean that students at different colleges are receiving a different quality of education, but rather it just makes it easier for students and tutors to arrange their time.

Secondly, each student is appointed a tutor at their college who is in their subject area to act as a ‘personal tutor’. This tutor, who may or may not be involved in the student’s teaching at the faculty, will meet regularly with the student to offer personalised guidance on both academic and pastoral matters. This is usually the person to whom students direct questions relating to their course, as well as concerns relating to personal issues such as time management, mental health concerns, or administrative queries.

2. Residential Life and Welfare

Colleges also serve as residential communities, providing accommodation and pastoral care to their members. First year undergraduate students at all colleges will normally be offered accommodation (as any other university offers ‘halls’), and in many cases this offer will extend throughout a student’s degree. In some colleges, students in their second or third year will need to rent privately, but in most cases this is just an option, with college accommodation being available for the full duration of their course.

With most students living together in college accommodation (both on the college site itself or elsewhere in the city), a strong sense of college community and camaraderie develops. With such a large student population across the university, the smaller college community (ranging from tens to hundreds of students) provides a more manageable pool from which to socialise and make new friends for students first coming to university.

Living in College can also make it easier to get help with issues relating to accommodation, welfare, and other personal concerns. College staff, including resident tutors and welfare officers, are on hand to provide support and guidance on a range of urgent and general issues. This can make it easier for students to develop channels of communication with the college and get issues resolved quickly and easily.

3. Social and Extracurricular Activities

Outside of academic life, colleges offer a rich array of social and extracurricular activities to enrich students' university experience. From sports teams and performing arts groups to debating societies and student-run publications, colleges provide opportunities for students to pursue their passions, develop leadership skills, and forge lifelong friendships.

Whilst societies relating to most pursuits exist on a university level, there is often a smaller, more intimate version to be found on a college level. For example, when picking up a new sport, a student might opt to join the college rather than the university-wide team; these college societies are often less competitive (as they don’t select a team to compete against other universities, only against other colleges at the same university), based in college, and offer a smaller group of students to get to know.

4. Alumni Networks and Support

Even after graduation, the ties to one's college remain strong. Alumni networks play a vital role in connecting former students with each other and with current members of the college community. Many colleges offer career support, mentoring programs, and networking opportunities to help graduates succeed in their chosen fields.

Alumni networks also provide a bank of donors for the college in the future. Don’t worry: no alumnus is obliged to donate to their college once they have graduated! What this means is that graduates can give money later on in life to help support students of their former college in the form of upgraded facilities, scholarships, or bursaries.