Top Reasons to Attend University in Oxford
Population 149,100
Student population 30,000
The city is beautiful, ancient and expensive. Medium-sized, it has a cosmopolitan and youthful atmosphere. A thriving nightlife and dynamic music scene have added to the buzz of the place. Its historical architecture is world famous and attracts many tourists each year. High costs are probably one reason why student social life tends to be concentrated in college bars and in the Brookes' Students' Union. Contact between the two universities is minimal, though probably greatest in the cosmopolitan Cowley Road area where many students look for non-collegiate, and often overpriced, accommodation.
Some of the best universities in Oxford
Getting around
- Most students use bikes, and cycle lanes and cycle parking are abundant.
- Local buses are inexpensive and services are good.
- Cars are actively discouraged in the city centre.
- London is 59 miles away, and trains take 1 hour. Coaches run to London 24 hours a day. There are special coach links to Heathrow (half hourly) and Gatwick (hourly) airports.
Attractions for students
Sport
- The city has a range of swimming pools and leisure centres, an ice rink and an athletics track.
- Oxford University has a splendid new sports are including swimming pool, athletics track, hockey pitches, rugby et al.
- Many of the Oxford colleges have their own sports facilities; Oxford Brookes has a pool at the Harcourt campus as well as its own sports provisions. The river provides opportunities for rowing. Rugby, football, basketball and ice hockey are all played.
Culture and nightlife
- A number of famous bands have come out of Oxford in recent years, and there are now several venues for live music with gig nights for up and coming bands. Bars, clubs and restaurants are proliferating and a varied club scene with special student nights is attracting students to the city centre.
- Oxford has three cinemas, plus the Phoenix and the Ultimate Picture Palace. The Oxford Playhouse is the main theatre. The New Theatre is a venue for concerts as are the Sheldonian Theatre and Holywell Music Room.
- The Museum of the History of Science, the Ashmolean (recently doubled in size), the University Museum of Natural History (closed until 2014 for repairs) and the adjacent Pitt Rivers are examples of the many museums.
- May Day, Eights Week, Art Weeks, Alice's Day and Cowley Carnival are some of the local festivities.
- Official walking tours of Oxford and the colleges provide an interesting and informed view of the University and city. The tours leave Oxford Visitor Information Centre daily at 10.45 and 14.00. Morse tours run every Saturday plus Monday and Friday March–September. A special C.S. Lewis/J.R.R. Tolkien tour is offered monthly for Hobbit fans.
Shopping
- Cornmarket and Queen Streets are popular shopping areas, as are the Westgate and Clarendon Centres and the traditional Covered Market.
- Cowley road offers ethnic shops and eateries.
- Book lovers are spoilt for choice.
Proximity to the city centre
- Oxford University: the colleges are an integral part of the city, with most of the undergraduate colleges being in or near to the city centre.
Oxford Brookes University: two campuses in Headington, 2 miles from the centre; Wheatley, 6 miles east; and Harcourt, 3 miles west. Linked by bus services.
Crime in university cities
- Find out how safe this city is with our crime figures.
- See crime statistics for crime near university campuses.
For further information
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Content was accurate at the time of compilation.
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