YING-DI YING, JCR PRESIDENT
01 | Somerville in Stats
OUR COLLEGE IN NUMBERS
Somerville College is founded to 'include the excluded', holding out the promise of an Oxford education to anyone with talent and a passion to learn.
1879 undergraduate students
120,000
books in the Somerville library, available 24-7
£735,000
in discretionary financial support given to students in 2020-21
460
1 in 5
students receive a bursary or hardship funding from college
£27.61£30.37
Cost per night for accommodation, including all bills
8 coffee shops within a three-minute walk
148 million blades of grass you’re allowed to walk on all year round (it’s truewe did the maths)
Every day
Vegan and vegetarianoptions available at every meal
£3.50
The average cost of a meal at Somerville, including vegan and vegetarian options everyday.
average price of a pint in the college bar £2.50
1st
Nobel Laureate in science for a woman
Female Prime Minister of Great Britain
Female Prime Minister of India
Youngest Black female Professor in Oxford’s 925-year history
Woman to study Law at Oxford
02 | Principal’s Welcome
When it comes to choosing your college, it is not a question of which one is best – because they’re all exceptional. The question is which college is right for you. That’s why the best piece of advice I can offer is also the simplest –by telling you why I love this college and feel privileged to serve as its Principal.
For me, there’s a real excitement in the air at Somerville. An optimism that comes from knowing that every day there are good people doing good things all around me – working notjust for themselves but for othersas they build on the pioneering achievements of our founders and learn to change the world.
Of course, I’m only one person. In the coming pages, other people will tell you that they love Somerville because we’re the friendliest college in Oxford, or because you’re guaranteed a room every year of your degree. They’re right, of course. And if you come here, I know you’ll find your own reasons for loving Somerville. After all, it will be your college.
BARONESS JAN ROYALL, PRINCIPAL
03 | Academic Life
To learn closely from an expert you admire is an invaluable opportunity.
My tutorials with Professor Stafford were a real privilege.
PHIL SADLER (2018, ENGLISH)
What makes academic life at Somerville different to other colleges? Here are three specific points that set our community apart.
1. Across everything from Classics to Computer Science, our tutors are worldclass academics engaged in cutting-edge research. But, this being Somerville, you’ll also find them friendly and approachable, dedicated to helping you succeed through Oxford’s world-famous tutorial system.
2. We were founded with a promise to include the excluded. In 1879 that meant women and religious non-conformists. Today, it means anyone bright and passionate about their subject belongs here, irrespective of their background.
3. Somerville is just the right size – neither too big, nor too small. In academic terms,
that means you’ll progress through your degree with people who will become some of your closest friends in the world, while still having enough space to do your own thing.
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE COURSES.
MEET THE SOMERVILLE TUTORS.
04 | Student Life
To experience life at Somerville, all you need to do is visit our quad on a sunny day. The social heart of our college, it’s where everyone stops to say hello, study and socialise.
Of course, this being Oxford, there’s also a multitude of ways to entertain yourself outside your studies. Here are just a few of them:
Attend open mic nights with the Somerville Music Society;
Act in our award-winning Drama Society;
Sing some of Oxford’s most eclectic music with the Somerville College Choir;
Find your niche in societies across everything from board games to ballroom dancing;
Chill over a game of pool in our Terrace Bar.
SOMERVILLE SPORTS
Somerville also has a sports scene offering something for every possible taste and skill-level. Cricket, football, rugby, netball, American football, fencing and ice hockey all have their own thriving clubs, including several Blues athletes, and our women’s boat club is one of the oldest in Oxford.
One of my favourite things about Somerville is the smiles, waves, and impromptu conversations you have on the way to a class.
ALICE PENROSE (2019, BIOLOGY)
05 | Social Responsibility
Progress has been in our DNA since 1879, when twelve women defied convention to become our first students. Today’s students may look different, but they retain the same passionate commitment to tackling the key issues facing the world right now.
INCLUSIVITY
We are leading multiple initiatives to honour our founding promise to ‘include the excluded’ and tackle contemporary inequities. We support an annual BAME Formal for students across Oxford and a BAME Scholarship. We also promote events that platform BAME and LGBQT+ culture, and our JCR and MCR Equality and Diversity Officers have led on initiatives such as the provision of gender-neutral toilets.
SUSTAINABILITY
Somerville was one of the first colleges to divest from fossil fuels and our Sustainability Working Group is now hard at work on a comprehensive programme to decarbonise the college by 2040. Over 50% of all meals eaten at Somerville are already vegetarian or vegan and we are in the process of moving to energy-efficient appliances, lighting and insulation.
SANCTUARY
35 million people below the age of 18 have been forcibly displaced by war and human rights violations – only 1% of whom go into higher education. Our community is working to change that statistic by making our college a place of sanctuary and welcome through our new Sanctuary Scholarships and our work as one of the UK’s first ever Colleges of Sanctuary.
Somerville prides itself on inclusivity. You really get the feeling that there is a place for everyone here.
JULIA TALAREK, JCR ACCESS OFFICER (2020, BIOCHEMISTRY)
06 | Find your way
Somerville College has one of the best locations in Oxford. In the heart of the buzzing Jericho neighbourhood, we’re a stone’s throw from cafés, bars and cinemas as well as the Maths, Physics and Engineering Faculties AND the forthcoming Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities. We’re also the closest college to Port Meadow, with its famous views over Oxford’s dreaming spires - perfect for an early morning dip!
Somerville is one of the few Oxford colleges able to house all its undergraduates in-college for every single year of their degrees. That means our College is able to offer a true academic community, with students and deriving exceptional benefits in terms of safety, value for money and student experience.
07 | Accommodation
All our accommodation comes with shared kitchen facilities and several buildings (Catherine Hughes, ROQ East and West) are fully en suite. We’re also highly flexible in accommodating individual needs. So, whether you are differently able, estranged or require support, just get in touch and we’ll see how we can help.
I applied to Somerville because it felt less like a castle and more like a home.
CORINNE BARKER (2019, PHYSICS)
08 | Food and Drink
Great food that’s delicious, sustainable and affordable is the order of the day here at Somerville.
Our brilliant kitchen and buttery staff serve up three meals a day from Monday-Friday, with breakfast and lunch replaced at the weekend by the beloved Somerville brunch. We also serve Formal Hall every Tuesday and on two additional Fridays per term. It’s a sit-down meal with at least three courses, and the food is amongst the best in Oxford – all for a greatly affordable price.
(And because we don’t have formal every night like some colleges, our formals always feel quite special.)
Whatever the occasion, sustainability is a key consideration at Somerville. We source our ingredients locally and sustainably wherever possible, and there are tasty vegan and vegetarian options at every meal.
Going to hall for Saturday brunch to have four of those perfect hash browns is a mood.
MAR UMBERT KIMURA (2020, MUSIC)
09 | Support
Somerville is known for being one of the friendliest colleges in Oxford, including 360 degree support for your personal, financial and physical welfare.
WELFARE
Supporting our students’ health and welfare is a top priority at Somerville. Jo Ockwell is our College Welfare Officer, and acts as the first point of contact for welfare enquiries. She’s supported by our Junior Deans, the College’s own nurse, counsellor and doctor, the JCR Welfare Officer and our Peer Supporters (trained undergraduates offering drop-in support). Every student at Somerville also has a personal tutor who is there to provide advice and support on academic and, where appropriate, personal matters.
JO OCKWELL, COLLEGE WELFARE AND DISABILITY OFFICER
FINANCIAL SUPPORT
As a college, we’re determined that financial worries should never interrupt your studies or limit your potential. That is why Somerville College has become one of the most generous colleges in Oxford for financial support, with 1 in 5 students receiving some form of support during their degrees. This help is available to prospective and current students, and covers everything from academic achievement to wellbeing, music and travel projects, with 49 full scholarships currently available.
STUDENTS BENEFIT FROM FINANCIAL SUPPORT 1 in 5
College became home for me as soon as I arrived; its sense of community and the support systems in place make sure everyone feels seen.
LAUREN DAVIES (2021, ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE)
10 | Facilities
Somerville is small but perfectly formed. You’ll find everything you need a short walk away, including:
THE LIBRARY
Our library isn’t just one of the most beautiful libraries in Oxford. It’s also one of the biggest, with over 120,000 items available 24/7, as well as internationally important special collections and the Somerville Archives.
THE CHAPEL
As the only non-denominational chapel in Oxford, the Somerville Chapel is a place of spiritual contemplation for people of all faiths and none, as well as home to the Somerville College Choir.
THE GYM
Crunch those abs! Or don’t! Either way, you’ll find the Somerville gym is kitted out with everything you’ll need, from runners and rowers to resistance machines.
THE TERRACE
Somerville students have their very own café/bar called The Terrace, where they head for snacks and coffee by day and drinks by night. We even have our own alcoholic and non-alcoholic Somerville cocktails –the ‘Stone Cold Jane Austen’ comes highly recommended.
Somerville has such a range of social and academic spaces, it’s the perfect place for a community to thrive.
HOLLY COBB (2021, FRENCH AND LINGUISTICS)
Somerville was always unsnobbish, egalitarian and a bit out there. It’s tolerant, broad-minded, celebrates diversity of all kinds.
ESTHER RANTZEN, JOURNALIST AND HUMANITARIAN
SHRITI VADERA
CHAIR OF THE ROYAL SHAKESPEARE COMPANY
SUSIE DENT ETYMOLOGIST AND PRESENTER
11 | Beyond Oxford
A Somerville education will give you the confidence not merely to succeed, but fulfil your potential as a citizen of a changing and complex world. Here are just a few of the Somervilians doing important work in the world right now.
KAY DAVIES DIRECTOR OF THE MEDICAL RESEARCH COUNCIL’S FUNCTIONAL GENETICS UNIT
I had some of the most interesting conversations I’ve ever had at Somerville, with people who are still my best friends today, across everything from Ancient Egypt to the inverted pendulum I was working on.
ADRIEN GEIGER, CHIEF SUSTAINABILITY OFFICER, L’OCCITANE
ELIZABETH MACNEAL AUTHOR OF THE DOLL FACTORY
Going to Somerville gave me greater strength to champion what I believe.
MARGARET CASELY-HAYFORD, CHAIR OF SHAKESPEARE’S GLOBE
Oxford can be an intimidating place, but Somerville – a former women’s college – is welcoming to absolutely everyone.
XAND VAN TULLEKEN, HUMANITARIAN DOCTOR AND TELEVISION PRESENTER
MARTIN DESMOND ROE
OSCAR-WINNING DIRECTOR OF TWO DISTANT STRANGERS
Somerville created a safe haven for my intellectual curiosity and for life-long friendships to flourish. I’m so glad I ended up there, in the nicest bit of Oxford.
FARHANA YAMIN, CLIMATE CHANGE LAWYER
FRANCES HARDINGE AUTHOR OF THE LIE TREE
Everything I do scientifically comes back to those first principles I learned at Somerville. The methodology of testing, repeating and refining a hypothesis then using that evidence to make robust decisions is the heart of what I do.
JUNE RAINE, CEO OF THE MHRA, (RESPONSIBLE FOR APPROVING THE UK’S COVID-19 VACCINES)
My time at Somerville changed the course of my life. The relationships I built with my professors and peers helped shape my career (I also happened to make over a dozen lifelong friends).
ANTHEMOS GEORGIADES, ENTREPRENEUR AND FOUNDER OF ZUMPER
LEARN MORE ABOUT FAMOUS SOMERVILLIANS.
SCAN HERE
10 | Apply to Somerville
Somerville welcomes applications from bright, ambitious students regardless of educational, social or cultural background. To find out more about the admissions process, please visit our website or contact us:
When I came for interview,I knew immediately Somerville was right. I felt at home and loved the relaxed atmosphere.
ILONA CLAYTON (2017, HISTORY & GERMAN)
