Hertford College

*Total across all year groups (see source data)

1284

The college library is open 24/7, operating on a self-service basis. The library team is always happy to help with locating and procuring books and other materials. Please note that the main college library is currently under construction and due to reopen in early 2027, but a temporary library is available on the college’s main site which is also a few steps away from the Radcliffe Camera and Bodleian Library. Free Wi-Fi access is available across the college.

Graduate students can enjoy a wide range of musical and sporting activities at Hertford. The college has its own boathouse and active Boat Club, and all Hertford students have a free swim-and-gym membership to the University’s Iffley Road Sports Complex. The Hertford College Music Society is one of the University's largest student-run music societies. Their ensembles rehearse and perform regularly during term and there is an orchestra, jazz band and choir to choose from. The choir welcomes all and sings at chapel services once a week during term.

Hertford has a dedicated welfare and wellbeing team which offers advice and support to disabled students and students with health conditions. Staff are flexible and responsive to the needs of individuals and work closely with the University’s Disability Advisory Service. Please note that due to their historic nature, the dining hall and middle common room (MCR) are currently accessible only via stairs. Please feel free to contact the college about any accessibility requirements or adjustments you may need.

Hertford graduates are well-supported throughout their time at the college. The college's welfare team is led by the Fellow for Welfare, the Student Welfare Lead, and the Registrar. The Student Welfare Lead offers 1-1 meetings with students and coordinates the college's student welfare provision. Students also have access to the college nurses and a college counsellor. Each graduate is assigned a College Adviser, who is an established member of the college's academic staff and who can be a source of support for academic-related welfare matters. The elected MCR Welfare Representative is the voice of the student body on graduate welfare matters and relays feedback to the college's Student Welfare Committee. The college also has a team of near-to-peer Junior Deans who provide welfare support at evenings and weekends during term-time.

At Oxford, the term ‘Middle Common Room’ refers both to the group of students studying for graduate degrees in a college and to the rooms in a college where its graduate students meet and socialise. The Middle Common Room, or MCR, is a welcoming community of over 200 graduates.

The rooms used exclusively by the Hertford MCR are located in the college’s historic Octagon building. So called for its eight sides, the Octagon was once a chapel, dating back to the sixteenth century; today it is one of the most attractive spaces in the college with impressive views down Catte Street to the Bodleian Library and the Radcliffe Camera beyond. In addition to the cosy common room, the Octagon building also houses a study room and a tea room, which graduates are always welcome to use.

As an association of graduate students, Hertford’s MCR is a warm and friendly graduate community. With a dedicated team of elected representatives, the MCR is a welcoming home away from home. There are a wide range of academic and social activities to get involved in, including regular academic soirées which are a great opportunity to meet other graduates and participate in the intellectual life of the college. Less intellectual, but no less fun, are the MCR bops (‘big organised parties’) which take place in the Octagon common room.

Hertford can provide accommodation for graduate students at sites across the city. All are within a short distance of the main college and can be easily accessed by foot, bicycle or bus. Converted townhouses and purpose-built halls provide single bedrooms with access to shared kitchens, bathrooms and laundry facilities. There is also limited accommodation available for couples. 

All applicants offered a place at Hertford will be asked if they wish to be considered for accommodation. The college tries to accommodate all incoming first year graduate students, but this cannot always be guaranteed. Priority is given to incoming graduates new to the UK, or to Oxford, and to those who have disabilities, chronic health conditions, or other special requirements. Graduates who are interested in college accommodation for subsequent years are able to enter a ballot for housing. Further information about accommodation at Hertford is available on the college website.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner are available in college on weekdays in and out of term on a ‘pay as you go’ basis and spending can be tracked on an app. At weekends, only brunch is served in this way, but on Sunday evenings (as well as once during the week) there is a regular optional formal dinner for which students dress smartly and wear their academic gowns.

For application process enquiries, please refer to our frequently asked questions.